Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Outbreak
by kyokotheeevee
Summary: A deadly disease is sweeping through the Pokémon world, decimating the population. No one survives once they're infected. There is seemingly no way to stop the progression of this disease... However, one girl will step forth in the body of a Pokémon, and with a faithful partner, she will save the world from certain destruction.
1. Hospitalized

**Hey everyone, Kyoko here with a new story.**

**Now, I'm not exactly proud of this story. It's definitely not as good as Follow Your Heart, but I guess it's something.**

**Please review. I ****_really_**** need some tips on how to improve this story. Be critical. You don't have to be all like "IT'S DA BESTEST STORY EVAR AND U DON'T NEED TO CHANGE ANYTHING!"**

**I do not own anything.**

**Just letting you know, I didn't come up with this idea. Panda Namine owns the characters and the outline of the story. I guess I forgot to mention that. If you're reading this, Panda Namine, I'm sorry. Just know that this was her idea.**

**But enough disclaimers. I should get on with this. I hope you enjoy this story.**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Outbreak**

Chapter 1: Hospitalized

Cindy Brandt looked longingly out the window, which was flooded with bright sunshine. How she longed to go outside, escape the sterile smell of her hospital room, and frolic in the sun. But unfortunately for her, she couldn't.

Cindy had been stuck in the hospital for almost two weeks. But how did she get there? She had been feeling really weak lately, and strange purple spots had been appearing on her body. But when she suddenly collapsed in the middle of a school day, she had been rushed to the hospital.

Many tests had been performed on her. Most of them were quite painful, and she would always go to bed wishing that the torture would be over.

_I just wish that I could go outside… Just one time… _Cindy thought.

She was suddenly snapped out of her daydream by the clomping sound of footsteps. She knew it was probably her doctor, Dr. Myers, coming to check on her. Cindy panicked; she wasn't supposed to be out of bed. She hastily rushed to her bed and tucked herself under the covers just as Dr. Myers walked in.

Dr. Myers smiled a sad smile and sat down in an old wooden chair in the corner of the room. "Good morning, Cindy," his old voice croaked.

"Good morning, Dr. Myers," Cindy said politely.

"Are you feeling okay?" Dr. Myers asked.

"I'm fine," Cindy said.

There was another knock on her door.

"Come in," Dr. Myers said.

Cindy's mom and dad entered her room. Right away she noticed something different about her parents. Her mother appeared to have been recently crying, as her face was as red as Cindy's long red hair. Her father's normally bright face now looked crestfallen. It pained Cindy to see her parents so sad.

Cindy's mom walked up to her and gripped her hand. Her dad whispered "Keep fighting, sweetie," into her ear.

"Um… What's going on?" Cindy asked.

Dr. Myers looked down and took several deep breaths. "See… I need to tell you this, and I figured it would be… easier for you to have your parents in here…"

"What? What is it?" Cindy pressured with an increasing feeling of dread.

"I'm so sorry I have to be the one to tell you this, Cindy, but… The other day we ran a test to see if you had leukemia… and… I'm afraid the test came out positive. You have contracted leukemia," Dr. Myers said gloomily.

Cindy's mouth dropped open in shock. Her mother let out a wail of sadness. Her father's eyes squeezed shut and he clasped Cindy's other hand in an attempt to not cry.

Cindy had leukemia. She was going to die.

A drop of water fell on the white bedspread and blossomed into a dark stain, and Cindy realized that she was crying.

_It's just not fair! _she yelled in her mind. _I'm only thirteen years old and I'm already gonna die of leukemia! It's not fair!_

Everyone in the room was quiet for the next few minutes, silently grieving over Cindy's ailment. She simply couldn't believe that she had leukemia.

_Surely this is a dream… I'll wake up in my room at my house soon, and I won't have leukemia… This isn't happening… _But she knew this was no dream. This was real life.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Cindy choked out, "How long do I have to live?"

"Don't think that way. You could always undergo chemotherapy. That could get rid of your leukemia. You'll lose your hair, but you can always grow it back later," Dr. Myers reassured her.

"You're avoiding the question. How long do I have to live?" Cindy repeated.

"If we don't do chemo soon, then you'd probably have three months. At the most," Dr. Myers said.

_Three months? _Cindy thought. Three months would normally be an eternity under normal circumstances, but now her last three months would go by in a snap.

_Why me? _was the painful question on her mind. _How come I of all people have to contract leukemia? Why me? Why…_

Dr. Myers stood up from the creaky chair and gripped her hand. "We'll get started on the chemo in three days. How's that sound?"

"I don't care! Just get rid of it! And don't kill me in the process!" Cindy snapped. She was so angry and frustrated that she wasn't thinking sensibly. She was just yelling words out at random.

She looked at Dr. Myers' pained expression and started to apologize, but she wasn't really listening to her words. She was too numb with shock.

"Ah… maybe I should leave you alone…" Dr. Myers nodded slowly and made his way to the door, leaving Cindy and her parents alone.

Cindy's dad kissed her on the cheek. "Don't worry, bonbon. We'll get through this. You'll be okay."

_I sure hope so… _Cindy thought.

XxX

The next few days were horrible for poor Cindy. The doctors prepared her for chemotherapy, though it felt like they were torturing her. At the end of each day, her body ached more and more until she could barely move.

_I almost wish that I would die now… Anything's better than having to endure all this pain… _she thought miserably.

On the third day, however, Dr. Myers said that all the tests were done and Cindy would start her chemotherapy the next day.

"Good," Cindy said. "I don't want to have to endure all this pain anymore."

"The chemotherapy will be pretty painful to begin with, but if it works, you'll start feeling better," Dr. Myers said.

That, of course, made Cindy feel even worse.

"You know what? I don't care. I don't care if I die. I don't care if I go to bed some day and don't wake up. Death would be so much better than this torture," Cindy snapped.

"Cindy…" Dr. Myers began.

Cindy stopped. It occurred to her that she was being quite rude, which wasn't really her nature. Leukemia had started to affect her personality.

"Look, I'm sorry, I'm just miserable. Having some deadly disease isn't very uplifting to my mood, you know," Cindy said with a bit less venom.

"I understand." Dr. Myers walked to the wooden door. "Rest now. You should get some sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow."

"Don't remind me," Cindy grumbled.

"Good night, Cindy. Sleep well." Dr. Myers nodded, gave Cindy a crinkly smile, and left Cindy alone at last.

XxX

"N-no! Get away from me! Get awaaaaaay—!"

Cindy sat bolt upright in her bed. She figured she must've dozed off, but now she certainly was awake.

_W-what's happening?! _Cindy thought. _Who's screaming?!_

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she realized who it was.

It was Dr. Myers.

Against all orders, Cindy slid out of bed and clambered into the hallway to check out the commotion. What she saw shocked her.

Dr. Myers was lying on the ground, entwined in red and blue… tentacles. Cindy had no other word for them. The doctor's eyes were closed, and he didn't appear to be breathing.

"Dr. Myers! Dr. Myers!" Cindy cried, shaking the unconscious doctor. "Are you okay?! Say something! What happened?!" But there was no response.

Before Cindy could do anything more, a red tentacle reached out for her arm. She screamed and shook it away.

"What's happening?! What are these things?!" Cindy cried as she swatted away a blue tentacle that was trying to ensnare her leg.

If anyone else heard the commotion, nobody came to their aid. Cindy and the doctor were all alone with the red and blue tentacles.

_I need to go… I need to get out of here… _Cindy's befuddled mind thought.

With one last look at the unconscious doctor, she fled the scene.

_Oh God… What's happening?! Is this some twisted dream? Or is this… reality…? _Cindy thought as she sprinted down the hall. She felt her heart rate increase until it almost seemed that it would pop, and her stiff muscles protested with every movement, but she kept running.

Finally, Cindy got to the end of the hallway. There was nothing there except for a window and an elevator.

_Okay… Don't worry… You just need to go down the elevator… That's it… _Cindy thought in an attempt to calm herself down. She jammed the elevator button impatiently, but the elevator car never showed up.

"No…" Cindy murmured.

She continued to jam the elevator button, hoping that the elevator was coming to her, but after a moment, it was clear that the elevator wasn't coming for her.

Cindy glanced at the window and briefly considered breaking out of it, but she knew that she couldn't. She was on the fourth floor; she'd probably die as soon as she hit the ground.

A strange noise brought Cindy out of her thoughts. It was a strange, unearthly sound, like an alien spaceship or something like that.

_What was that noise? _Cindy thought.

And with a sinking feeling of dread in her stomach, she slowly turned around…

Behind her was… a portal, Cindy decided. It was like a black hole; it was dark purple and black, and it seemed to have a strange suction quality. It was somewhat random and had apparently come from nowhere.

"What the heck? What's this thing?" Cindy muttered.

Curiosity got the best of her. Even though she knew that the portal was a bad thing, she couldn't help but get a closer look at it. She took a step toward the portal…

Suddenly, Cindy found herself unable to move an inch. She looked down and saw that the red and blue tentacles had ensnared her legs and arms, rendering her unable to move. She tried to scream, but a tentacle covered her mouth. No sound came out.

The grip on her tightened, and she felt the tentacles tugging at her… pulling her back… back to the portal.

_No… _Cindy thought groggily. _Don't…_

There was no reply.

Cindy was inches away from the portal, and she felt the tug grow stronger. She probably would be freaking out if the tentacles weren't holding her so tight.

_I'm dreaming… I know I'm dreaming… Soon I'll wake up safe and sound in my hospital bed… _Cindy tried to think calming thoughts to reassure herself, but everything was so chaotic that she found it hard to focus on anything.

The tentacles gave a mighty tug, and Cindy stumbled backwards… back into the portal.

Once she came in contact with the portal, Cindy was swept off her feet, though the tentacles still held her tight. She flew backwards at an astoundingly fast speed, blurred colors flying past her.

She briefly wondered if she was still dreaming, but this whole situation felt too real to be a dream. This was reality. A very wild reality, sure, but it was reality nevertheless.

Cindy began to feel herself losing consciousness. The tentacles gripped her tighter, causing her head to throb and her body to ache.

_Please… Someone… help… me… _she thought groggily.

There was no reply.

Then, quite suddenly, Cindy slammed to a stop. The sudden deceleration and the pressure of the tentacles was too much for Cindy to take, and she slowly slid out of consciousness.

However, just before everything went black, Cindy could've sworn she had heard a voice echoing through her head. It was firm, echoing, and distinctly female.

** "****STOP!"**

And Cindy knew no more.

XxX

**What a train wreck.**

**I promise it'll get better as it goes on. Don't let this turn you off from the rest of my story.**


	2. Phoenix

**What does Cindy turn into? Read on to find out...**

**Actually, I'm pretty sure you all know.**

Chapter 2: Phoenix

Rose Road was a very calm pathway in the Pokémon world. It was a small, dirt path surrounded on all sides by beautiful, flowing rose bushes. If you continued down Rose Road for a while, you would eventually find yourself in Medicine Forest, which would then lead to Polar Town, a small wintery village.

Very few Pokémon had the guts to stray too far from Rose Road. If they strayed too far into Medicine Forest, they would find themselves beset upon by vicious Pokémon. If you decided to stray into the rose bushes along Rose Road, you would also find hostile Pokémon. For that reason, Pokémon rarely ventured too far away from the dirt path.

Not one Pokémon, though. A young Piplup by the name of Phoenix constantly visited Rose Road. He liked taking walks down the path, but his closer friends knew that he would on occasion venture through the roses.

Many Pokémon thought he was crazy for doing that. The roses had sharp thorns that could pierce a Rhyhorn's hide. And there were the Pokémon that lived in the roses to worry about.

But Phoenix wasn't crazy. Ever since he was young, he had dreams of becoming a great explorer. He would boldly venture through this world of mystery dungeons, discovering treasure and becoming stronger.

All he needed was a partner…

XxX

Cindy awoke to the peaceful twittering of birds. Her entire body ached, her mind was frustratingly blank, and she couldn't move an inch. She couldn't even open her eyes.

For some reason, the word "leukemia" bounced around in her head. She also remembered the word "death" and the word "stop", but other than those phrases, she couldn't remember a thing.

_Dying…_ she thought. _This must be what dying feels like… Or maybe I'm already dead…? Is this Heaven?_

A wave of exhaustion suddenly swept over Cindy, making her start to fade away again.

_Ugh… No… I can't… drifting… off…_

XxX

Phoenix the Piplup ambled down Rose Road without a care in the world. The sun was shining, the Starlys overhead were singing sweet songs, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. It was the perfect day.

Suddenly, Phoenix stopped walking. He turned to his right and examined a rose bush that had been trampled over fairly recently.

"All right! Here's our secret base!" he said to himself. "And now…"

Phoenix cursed to himself. This was his least favorite part.

He had made a "secret explorer base" when he was young, and on sunny days, he'd play explorer with himself. Of course, his secret base wasn't his home; he lived in a small house in the large town of Center City.

When he wanted to play explorer, however, he retreated to his base. He just had to trample through some rose bushes, which was always painful. When he arrived at his "secret base", he always had to dig rose thorns out of his body.

He took a deep breath. "Don't worry, Phoenix. It'll be okay. You've done this before, this time isn't any different."

He spent a few moments steadying himself, and when he finally felt that he was ready, he leapt into the rose bushes.

Phoenix grunted as he tumbled blindly through the thorny plants. He felt spikes dig into his skin, and soon tiny drops of blood squeezed out from the tiny puncture holes.

_Argh… This is always the worst moment… _Phoenix thought to himself.

But unfortunately for the Penguin Pokémon, things were about to get worse.

Phoenix opened his eyes a crack and saw a small green Budew standing in front of him, eyeing the Piplup with a curious expression.

"No… Don't come any closer…" Phoenix said tremulously. Grass type Pokémon had always been scary for him.

Of course, his warning had been lost on the young Budew, who inched forward curiously.

At this, Phoenix went into a frenzy. He screamed and blindly swatted at the Budew with his wings, hitting it a few times. The Budew wasn't too badly injured, but it knew that it should probably shy away. It didn't want to get slapped again.

Once the Budew retreated into the roses, Phoenix let loose a sigh of relief. He still had a long way to go before he reached his secret base, which meant more thorns and more Pokémon, but he had at least conquered one without too much trouble.

Phoenix shook his head grimly. "It's worth it to get to the base. I haven't been there in forever…"

He took another deep breath and plunged back into the roses.

Phoenix spent a few more minutes struggling through the roses, occasionally running into a Budew or a Shroomish and "defeating" it by repeatedly slapping at it.

He wished that he could have a friend to assist in his exploring. Not only would he have some company, but if his partner was a Fire type, he wouldn't have to be so scared of Grass types.

Phoenix was so lost in his daydreams that he didn't notice that he had reached his secret base.

It was nothing more than a small circle of dirt with a straw bed, a wooden bucket of water, and a pouch full of berries. But now there was something else in his secret base.

And that something made Phoenix scream.

XxX

A shrill scream pierced Cindy's ears, bringing her back from unconsciousness. How long had she been out? A day? A week? It felt like an eternity.

She still didn't feel any better. Her body was still aching, her mind was completely blank, and she couldn't move a muscle.

_Ugh… What happened? Who's that screaming? Where am I? Why do I feel so… different?_ Cindy's mind swam with unanswered questions that no one would know the answer to.

"Wah! What happened?! Are you okay?!"

A somewhat childish voice almost seemed to echo the questions back to her. Cindy didn't know who the speaker was.

The next thing she knew, she was being shaken back and forth by two hands. "C'mon! Wake up! Wake up! Please, wake up!"

Cindy grunted and found that she had started to regain some of her strength. She grunted again and rolled over to her other side.

The speaker seemed to be happy now, but he was still somewhat worried. "Hey, are you okay? What happened, Cyndaquil?"

Cindy coughed and tried to sit up, but once she heard what the speaker had said, she stopped.

_Did he just call me "Cyndaquil"? What's a Cyndaquil? _Cindy thought.

Cindy found that she had the strength to pull herself up and open her eyes.

She was in a small circle of dirt, lying on a bed of straw. All around her, blossoming rose bushes grew. Above her, the sun shone in a cloudless blue sky.

"Whew! You're awake! I was getting worried!" It was the speaker, who was now sounding quite relieved.

"What…?" Cindy murmured, looking around. Then her eyes fell on what was presumably the speaker.

The voice belonged to some sort of blue… penguin. It resembled a penguin, at least. It had a yellow beak, two sky blue wings, and yellow feet. The rest of its body was sky blue and teal. Cindy had never seen anything like it before.

"Ahh! W-what are you?!" Cindy exclaimed, stumbling back.

The penguin looked at her curiously. "Um… heh heh… What do you mean?"

"What are you?!" Cindy repeated.

The penguin looked around nervously and scratched his head awkwardly with his wing. "Um… I'm a Piplup… My name's Phoenix. Nice to meet you, Cyndaquil."

Cindy was still puzzled. "Why are you calling me Cyndaquil?"

"That's what you are, aren't you?" Phoenix said, sounding somewhat uncomfortable.

"But…" Cindy looked down at her hands… Wait. They weren't hands any more. They were tan, like her hands, but she didn't have any fingers.

"What the…" Cindy mused.

Panic was now starting to seep into her. She had forgotten everything, and now she was fairly certain that something about her had changed.

"Um… I'm sorry, but have you forgotten what you look like?" Phoenix asked.

"This isn't normal. What happened to my hands? Where am I? Please! Tell me what's going on!" Cindy cried.

"So you don't know how you got here?" Phoenix asked.

"No. I don't remember anything…" Cindy pouted.

But no sooner had the words left her mouth when she did remember something. It was a small detail, but it certainly was something. "I'm a human. I'm not a… Cyndaquil, or whatever. I'm a human."

Phoenix tilted his head, examining Cindy with a strange curiosity. "You're… kind of weird… Did you bump your head or something?"

"I… I don't know… I… What am I?" Cindy pouted, sounding even more confused.

Phoenix waddled over to the wooden bucket of water and picked it up. "Maybe if you take a good look at yourself, everything will become clear."

The Piplup waddled back over to Cindy and placed the bucket of water down by the girl. Cindy peered into the bucket of crystalline water… and she got her biggest surprise yet.

Instead of a human girl peering back at Cindy, instead, something truly bizarre was being reflected on the water. Cindy had turned into a small creature with blue and milky tan fur. Her nose was long, and her eyes were squinted. The word "shrew" popped into her mind, but normal shrews didn't look anything like this. She was… she… was…

"Wah! I-I've turned into a Cyndaquil!" Cindy screamed.

By now she was really panicking. She was no longer a human, but a small blue shrew with a really long nose. Anyone would be panicked if something like that happened.

"So let me get this straight: you were a human, but then you lost your memory and somehow turned into a Cyndaquil…" Phoenix said.

"And I've lost my memory. I don't remember anything but my name and the fact that I was once a human," Cindy added.

"And what is your name?" Phoenix asked.

"My name is Cindy. Nice to meet you, I guess," Cindy said, still somewhat shaken by her transformation.

Phoenix chuckled. "Heh. Cindy the Cyndaquil. It rhymes. Kind of funny…"

"Um… thanks, I guess…" Cindy said.

Quite suddenly, the world began to blur. Cindy stumbled back, her body suddenly hot. She let out a cough and promptly collapsed on the bed of straw, disoriented and ill.

"Wah! What happened?!" Phoenix cried as he rushed forward to help the Cyndaquil.

"Ugh…" Cindy groaned. "I feel… really sick…"

Phoenix placed his wing on her forehead and instantly recoiled. "Oh my Arceus! You're burning up!"

Cindy let out a moan. That was just what she needed. She had been turned into a… shrew, transported into a weird world with talking penguins, and now she was feverishly ill. Great. Just great.

"Don't worry… I know of a place that can help with this sort of thing! All re have to do is get back to my hometown, Center City. There's someone there who will help you," Phoenix reassured her. "Are you up for a little walk?"

"I… I guess…" Cindy murmured.

"Okay! Good!" Phoenix turned to the trampled rose bushes and prepared to dive into them before he turned back to Cindy. "Hey… I'm sorry for acting all weirded out by you earlier… It's just… You don't really know what to say if someone claims that they're a human that's gotten turned into a Pokémon…"

"Oh, it's okay. I'm sorry for 'weirding you out' earlier…" Cindy said with a small smile.

"Whatever. We're past that now, aren't we? Let's go!"

And with a grim smile, Phoenix led the way into the roses.

XxX

**Cindy the Cyndaquil and Phoenix the Piplup! The dream team!**

**Panda Namine recently restarted Time and became a Cyndaquil. Her partner was Phoenix the Piplup. She told me about her game and said that she might wanna make a fanfiction out of it, but she didn't know how to execute it. I asked for permission to make my own fanfiction using her characters, and here we are now.  
**

**Sorry. I just needed to get that off my chest.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review!**


	3. The Beginning of Team Blaze

**Hey guys, Kyoko here with another chapter.**

**There's not really much to say here. It's a chapter. And it features Cindy and Phoenix.**

**Anyway, here we go. Enjoy.**

Chapter 3: The Beginning of Team Blaze

Phoenix was overjoyed. It was the perfect day for him. The weather was nice, his secret base was still secret, and best of all, he had found himself a friend. And if that wasn't good enough, that friend was a Fire type Pokémon, which would be great for getting rid of Grass types.

_Hmm… Maybe once she feels better, I could ask her about that… Yeah, that would be nice to have a buddy like her exploring with me, _Phoenix thought to himself.

He smiled to himself and gritted his teeth; they still had a long way to go until they got back onto the main dirt path.

Meanwhile, Cindy wasn't feeling nearly as good. It seemed like the whole world hated her now. Between her transformation, losing her memory, coming down with a fever, and having to tromp through thorny roses, she was having a pretty crummy day.

_But Phoenix seems to be nice enough, _Cindy thought. _Maybe hanging out with him wouldn't be a bad thing…_

Cindy was suddenly jolted out of her thoughts as a stabbing pain shot through her right foot. She let out a yelp and stumbled back, unknowingly spitting a few tiny embers out of her mouth. The embers flew into a nearby rose bush and burned off a few rose petals.

"Ow ow ow ow ow! That really hurt!" Cindy yelled as she leapt around. "These stupid roses—why do they have to be so thorny?!"

Phoenix didn't answer. He was too busy gaping at the partially scorched rose bush to say anything.

"You… you burned it! You used a move!" Phoenix cried.

"A… what?" Cindy asked.

"You used Ember!" Phoenix said in awe.

"I used Ember? What do you mean by that?" Cindy asked.

"See, every Pokémon here has the power to use moves based on their types. I'm a Water type, so if I wanted, I could use a Water type move, Bubble!" Phoenix turned around and faced a nearby rose bush. He took a deep breath and exhaled, and a small stream of bubbles appeared from his beak. The bubbles burst when they hit the roses.

"That's cool," Cindy said with a smile.

"Thanks. But in my opinion, your moves are much cooler. Try using Ember again," Phoenix said.

Cindy turned to the singed roses and eyed them with a fierce gaze. She took a deep breath and exhaled as Phoenix had done, but instead of bubbles appearing from her mouth, a thin stream of embers was blown out of her mouth. The flames engulfed the rose bush, burning it down to a pile of ashes.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Cindy cried, an excited glint in her squinted eyes.

"Yeah! You totally burned down that rose bush!" Phoenix cried.

"We're lucky that my attack wasn't strong enough to start a forest fire," Cindy commented.

"Yeah…" Then Phoenix started as if he'd gotten a revelation. "Hey! I know of a way to get through here without getting poked by the thorns! You lead, and when we get blocked by a rose bush, you can use Ember to burn it down!"

"That sounds great! Now I won't have to deal with these stupid thorns," Cindy grunted as she dug a thorn out of her foot.

Before the duo could talk more, Cindy was interrupted by a fit of sneezes. It seemed as if her temperature was also rising.

"Ugh… I feel even worse now…" Cindy murmured.

"We need to get going!" Phoenix said urgently.

Cindy nodded grimly and moved in front of Phoenix. Then the Pokémon proceeded through the roses.

Cindy was great at exploring. She would burn down rose bushes that blocked their pathway with her Ember attack, and when Budews or Shroomishes attacked, she would defeat them with one direct hit with Ember.

Phoenix was great at warning Cindy about attacks from the back, and he too was somewhat good at fighting, though not as good as Cindy, of course.

Cindy's condition slowly got worse as they trampled through the roses. Her temperature steadily rose until it felt like she was burning up, and coughing and sneezing fits weren't uncommon for the poor Cyndaquil. But she pressed on.

It was mid-afternoon when Cindy and Phoenix burst through the roses onto the dirt pathway.

"We're almost to Center City. All we need to do is follow this path," Phoenix said happily.

"Good. I want a place to stay for the night," Cindy said through a fit of coughing.

"Lead on, Cindy!" Phoenix said.

That was much easier said than done. Cindy's body was punctured in many places by tiny spikes. Her legs ached from jumping and running through the thorny plants, and she was completely out of breath.

_Just grit your teeth and stick it out. It'll be okay, _Cindy motivated herself.

"Are you sure you can make it to the city?" Phoenix asked, concern in his tones.

"I'm fine," Cindy muttered.

"It's okay to tell me you're not ready," Phoenix said tenderly.

"I'm fine! Let's just get going. I want to get to 'Center City' as soon as possible," Cindy said.

Phoenix nodded and gave Cindy a motivating pat on the shoulder. She smiled weakly and began to trudge down the pathway.

Her body protested with every step that she took, but the young Cyndaquil forged on. Her side began to cramp, and Cindy had to take a brief rest, but after a few deep breaths, she got over her cramp.

Before long, Cindy and Phoenix came across a small, gently flowing river. A cobblestone bridge spanned the stream, permitting the two explorers across.

"Ooh, we're almost to Center City! It's called Center City because it's at the dead center of this world. It's an awesome place to live—great shops, lively people, and it's a hotspot for famous exploration teams from distant lands!" Phoenix explained.

"Exploration teams?" Cindy echoed.

"I'll explain once we get home," Phoenix said shortly.

"Good. I don't think I can take much more…" She coughed and stumbled forward.

Cindy and Phoenix were silent for the remainder of the trip, with the exception of Cindy's breathless pants and sneezing.

After what seemed like an eternity to Cindy, Phoenix ran in front of Cindy with an excited squeal. He stopped right by a roughly carved wooden sign.

"Come on, Cindy! Center City is just up ahead!" Phoenix said excitedly.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Cindy said patiently.

She moseyed on up to the Piplup, who was bouncing in front of a wooden sign that read "WELCOME TO CENTER CITY!" in big letters. She guessed that this was the entrance to Center City.

"Yay. Now I can finally take a break…" Cindy panted.

"We still have a way to go, but it shouldn't take too long," Phoenix assured her.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Cindy said.

"All right!"

And with that, Phoenix led the way into Center City.

Center City looked really advanced, considering that this was a world of Pokémon. The city was lined with tall buildings. A few smaller buildings, presumably shops or houses, dotted the square. Pokémon of all shapes and sizes bustled about, entering buildings, chatting with other Pokémon, or playing games.

At first, Cindy was somewhat blown away by the sheer size of the city. It was by far the most populated area she had seen yet, and all the buildings were tall and made with expert craftsmanship. She automatically grabbed Phoenix's hand so that she wouldn't get lost.

"Okay! This is the business district. There are a bunch of shops and services here," Phoenix explained giddily. "I would give you the full tour, but seeing as you're not feeling very well…"

"Maybe tomorrow," Cindy said.

"Maybe tomorrow," Phoenix agreed. "Anyway, let's go to the living district. My house is there."

"Certainly," Cindy said, relieved to finally have a place to rest her aching body.

Phoenix led Cindy through the large city, weaving in and out of buildings and Pokémon. Several Pokémon stopped and tried to converse with the duo, but Phoenix shooed them away.

"I'm sorry, but Cindy here isn't feeling very well. I need to get her to my home. Maybe I'll introduce her when she's feeling better," Phoenix said as he waved away a pink foxlike Pokémon with purple eyes. It may have just been a Pokémon instinct, but Cindy somehow knew who the Pokémon was: an Espeon.

"Oh, that's a shame," the Espeon said, looking genuinely crestfallen.

"It's not often that we see an unfamiliar face around these parts." A Pokémon at the Espeon's side spoke up. This Pokémon looked similar to the Espeon, but its furry coat was a reddish-orange color. It was a Flareon.

"Don't worry. I'm sure that she'll feel better soon!" Phoenix said with a smile.

He continued to herd Cindy away from Pokémon, and after a while, they had escaped the hustle and bustle of the business district.

The city had evolved dramatically. Now, instead of towering buildings and busy shops, quaint houses were lined up in rows. The houses were made of leaves and wood planks, and none of the houses were more than two stories tall.

There were still a few Pokémon around, but not as many as before. None of them seemed particularly interested in asking about Cindy.

"Is this the living district?" Cindy asked.

"Yep! As you may have guessed, this is where all the Pokémon live!" Phoenix explained as they walked down the rows of houses.

"And you built these houses all by yourselves?" Cindy asked. She was amazed that cute little creatures like Phoenix could build houses.

"We always pitch in and gather sullies, but there's a team known as Team Build-It that assists with the construction of these buildings," Phoenix explained.

"Are we almost there? I'm exhausted!" Cindy complained.

By now, her legs were aching and her side was getting cramped. She just wanted somewhere to lay down and rest her weary body.

Phoenix smiled and turned to his left, looking at a tiny hut. "Here we are: home sweet home!"

The house was nothing really special. It was quite small; if anything, it was even smaller than the smallest house Cindy had seen. It was made with boards of wood that had been loosely strung together with vines. The roof was made of large leaves, possibly palm leaves.

"I know, it's kind of lame. It's not as impressive as some of the other houses, but it's something, I guess," Phoenix said, sounding dejected.

"Hey, don't feel blue. I like it," Cindy reassured her partner.

Phoenix's eyes brightened at Cindy's words. "Really?"  
"Yeah!" Cindy said.

Phoenix smiled. He wasn't really used to receiving compliments on his house. "Thanks, Cindy."

"No problem!" Cindy mirrored the smile. "Anyway, let's go in. I just wanna lay down and take a nap."

"Sure thing!" Phoenix scrambled to the wooden door and opened it, holding it open for Cindy. "Ladies first, of course," he said with an exaggerated bow.

"Thank you, Phoenix," Cindy thanked the penguin as she walked into the hut.

"My pleasure," Phoenix said. And did Cindy imagine it? Or was Phoenix… blushing?

She didn't have time to dwell on that fact, though. She took a step into the hut…

It was somewhat shabby, just like the outside, but it wasn't overly messy. In fact, it was actually pretty peaceful.

The floor was a field of soft green grass with occasional patches of flowers growing in it. There was a large rock in the corner of the room with a flat top; Cindy guessed it was a table. In the other corner, a small fountain gurgled. Near the back of the room was a bed of straw, much like the bed that Cindy had woken up in. A few barrels were stacked near the straw beds.

Phoenix waddled in to the small room, closing the door behind him. "So? What do you think?"

"Phoenix… I love it," Cindy said.

"You do?" Phoenix asked, hardly able to believe his ears.

"Yeah," Cindy said. "I love how you used your surroundings to make a good home! Like that flat rock over there, the table—genius! And the fountain—you can get water there! You're so smart!" she gushed.

Phoenix began to blush again, but Cindy pretended like she didn't notice. "Aw… thanks."

"You're welcome!" Cindy hobbled over to the bed of straw and collapsed on it. Her whole body thanked her then; now she could just rest and recuperate.

"Okay, here's the plan. I'm going to take a quick trip into the business district and go find Nurse Blissey. I'll tell her what's going on, and if I can, I'll get her to come here. She'll fix you right up!" Phoenix said in his best strategy voice.

"That sounds like a plan to me," Cindy said.

Phoenix started back to the door. "Okay! You just rest easy here for a minute. I'll be back in a jiffy!" And with an excited smile, he darted back out the door to find this "Nurse Blissey", whoever he or she was.

And finally, Cindy was alone.

She began to think about what could've caused her transformation. She racked her brain for a memory, but she couldn't remember anything but the words "leukemia", "death", and "stop".

_Leukemia? That sounds like… some sort of disease… Maybe I had it back when I was a human…? Right, and maybe it could cause death… But why does the word "stop" keep getting repeated in my head? _Cindy thought.

She shook her head, which now seemed oddly off-balanced with her long nose. _I should stop thinking about it. I'm sure I'll find out what happened in due time…_

She nodded, feeling content. _Well, that's settled. No more overthinking it now._

Cindy smiled and rested her head on the bed of straw. Her muscles weren't so tired now, but she still found it hard to move. Hopefully this Nurse Blissey would help with that.

She lied on her bed for a few more minutes and listened to the pleasant gurgle of the fountain before another noise filled her ears. Talking.

"…Cindy. That's her name. She's really nice and really strong, you know." It was Phoenix.

"Cindy? And you say she's a Cyndaquil, huh? Cindy the Cyndaquil! That's a really cute name." This new voice Cindy didn't recognize, though the female tones sounded very soft and kind.

Before Cindy could do anything more, the front door opened. Phoenix waddled in, leading in a chubby pink Pokémon carrying a black case. Cindy know that the newcomer was a Blissey.

_A Blissey? Wait… She must be Nurse Blissey! _Cindy realized.

"Why, hello there! How are you today, friend?" Nurse Blissey asked.

"I'm okay, I guess," Cindy said. She wasn't in the mood to explain all her mixed-up feelings to the nurse.

"So what seems to be the issue?" Nurse Blissey asked as she approached Cindy.

"I'm feeling really hot now, and I don't think it's because I'm a Fire type," Cindy said with a smile. "I've also gotten these random dizzy flashes, and sometimes I'll just break down into a random sneezing fit." As if on cue, she buckled forward, letting loose a loud sneeze.

"Mmm. Let me just check your temperature…" Nurse Blissey reached out a stubby pink arm and placed it on Cindy's forehead. After a moment, she withdrew her arm.

"So…?" Cindy prompted.

"Oh, it's nothing really big. Just a fever. I get fever patients all the time, and I know just how to fix it," Nurse Blissey pronounced.

"How?" Cindy asked.

Nurse Blissey opened up her black case. Upon closer inspection, she found it was chock full of berries, pills, and strange, bubbling serums that Cindy didn't have a name for. The nurse dug around in her case for a moment before producing a fruit that resembled a blue strawberry.

"What's this?" Cindy asked, examining the blue berry.

"It's a Rawst Berry! They can be found in mystery dungeons like Medicine Forest and Mt. Bonfire. You can also find them at the Kecleon Shop in the business district. They heal burns, which may be inflicted by moves like Ember and Flamethrower."

Nurse Blissey handed Cindy the Rawst Berry as she continued to explain. "But they can also be used to lower abnormal temperatures!"

"So if I eat this, then my temperature will be lowered?" Cindy asked as she turned the berry around in her hand.

"You're going to need more than one Rawst Berry to get your temperature back to a stable degree, but yes. That's exactly what they'll do," Nurse Blissey explained.

Cindy examined the Rawst Berry for a moment, then she popped it into her mouth with an indifferent shrug.

Right away, she regretted putting the berry in her mouth. It was unbelievably bitter. The terrible taste exploded on her tongue, and it was almost painful to chew and swallow it.

"Bleah! This tastes terrible!" Cindy exclaimed through a mouthful of berry.

"I'm quite sorry. Rawst Berries are like that, unfortunately. The green ones aren't as bitter as the blue ones, but they aren't ripe, which makes them rather ineffective," Nurse Blissey said.

"Wow, you certainly know a lot when it comes to berries," Phoenix said with an impressed nod.

"Why, thank you, Phoenix. I'm nowhere near as skilled as Dr. Z, though," Nurse Blissey said.

"Dr. Z? Who's he?" Cindy asked.

"He's a super famous doctor and explorer! I heard that he's really good at his work," Phoenix said reverently.

"He doesn't like it when people come to him with tiny illnesses like fevers. No, he usually only works for Pokémon with serious injuries or illnesses," Nurse Blissey said.

"Oh. That clears it up," Cindy said.

"It's always been my dream to meet him someday. I mean, he's like a celebrity in this world! Everyone knows about the world-famous Dr. Z!" Phoenix said.

"Who knows? Maybe we will meet him someday," Cindy said.

"Maybe…" Phoenix echoed. It was apparent that he didn't want to wait for that "someday".

Nurse Blissey took a few more Rawst Berries out of her bag and placed them in front of Cindy. Then she closed the bag, stood up, and made her way to the door.

"So all you have to do is finish off those two Rawst Berries. That should get your temperature back down. But if for some reason it doesn't, don't hesitate to call me!" Nurse Blissey winked. "Tootle-oo, sweetie pies!" Then she exited the house, leaving Cindy alone with Phoenix.

She stared loathingly at the Rawst Berries in front of her. "Do I really have to do this?"

"Do you want to feel better?" Phoenix asked.

"Well, when you put it that way, yes…" Cindy picked up a Rawst Berry and braced herself for the terrible taste that would soon follow. "Here goes nothing…"

Two more bitter berries were ingested by the ailing Cyndaquil. They tasted absolutely awful, which didn't do much to improve Cindy's mood, but after a while, she did feel as if her temperature was slowly but steadily being reduced. It was quite a while before she was feeling in pristine condition; by the time she felt her temperature return to normal, the sky was dark and dotted with stars.

Cindy stretched her tiny limbs and rubbed her eyes, feeling as though she was being awoken from a deep slumber. "Ahh, that's better."

"Are you feeling okay?" Phoenix asked.

"Definitely! I do need some rest, though." Cindy put her head down on the bed of straw and closed her eyes…

"Wait! Don't go to sleep yet! There's something I want to tell you…" Phoenix said frantically.

Cindy opened her eyes and sat up, her interests piqued. "What's up?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you a question… You can refuse me if you want to, but…" Phoenix said.

"I'm pretty sure I won't refuse you," Cindy promised.

"Okay… So, um, do you know about exploration teams?" Phoenix asked.

Cindy tilted her head, confused. "Nope. Even though I can assume that they are teams that explore…?"

"Yes. See, this world is primarily made up of mystery dungeons. Mystery dungeons, as the name implies, are quite mysterious. The layout and items you can find in them are always different," Phoenix explained.

"Items? You mean like Rawst Berries?" Cindy asked.

"Yep. You can find even more items than just berries, though. Scarves, Gummis, and even the currency of this world, Poké, can be found in dungeons," Phoenix explained. He walked over to a small circle window and stared out into the starry sky. "But some dungeons contain real treasure, like priceless jewels… rare items…"

"Treasure? That sounds tempting," Cindy said.

"But normally dungeons are very hard to traverse. You've got Pokémon, and sometimes there are other obstacles. In fact, Rose Road was a dungeon," Phoenix said.

"It certainly didn't look like a dungeon," Cindy observed.

"Looks can be deceiving," Phoenix said. "Anyway, as I was saying, dungeons are really hard to get through alone. That's why there are exploration teams. They explore dungeons and help Pokémon and discover treasure!"

Cindy smiled. She liked the way this was going.

"I've wanted to form an exploration team with someone, but nobody else wanted to join up with me. And now you're here, and… so… I was wondering… maybe… could you… join my… team…?" Phoenix stuttered.

Cindy didn't have to think twice about it.

She had always had an adventurous spirit ever since she was just a little kid. In fact, (Cindy would never admit this to anyone) while they were exploring the roses and getting poked by the thorns, she was having fun. Even though it was painful, Cindy enjoyed exploring.

_Maybe if I become an explorer with Phoenix, I could find out more about who I was before I turned into a Cyndaquil… _Cindy thought to herself. She had made up her mind.

"Of course! I have a knack for adventure, you know. I would never pass down an opportunity like this! We can explore the world and get treasure and help people and more!" Cindy said, an excited glint in her eyes.

"You wouldn't mind being the leader of the team, do you? I think we'll do better if you're in front," Phoenix asked.

"I was just about to ask you that. I'd love to be the leader! Are you sure you don't wanna be the leader, though?" Cindy asked.

"I couldn't. I wouldn't do nearly as good as you would," Phoenix said, looking embarrassed.

"Okay, then! That's settled!" Cindy said.

"Wait! We need to think of a team name!" Phoenix cried.

"A team name?" Cindy repeated.

"Yeah! Every exploration team has a name that reflects who they are as a team," Phoenix explained. "That Espeon and Flareon back there? I'm good friends with them! They're part of Team Eeveelution, but half of them are sick or lost…"

"Hmm… A team name…" Cindy began to think.

At first, no ideas popped into her mind. Phoenix occasionally suggested a few names, like "Team Explorers!" or "Team Bravery!", however, Cindy didn't much care for those ideas.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think those are very creative," she admitted.

"Yeah. Even I agree, and I came up with them," Phoenix said with a small chuckle.

Finally, there was that lightbulb moment. That one moment where everything makes perfect sense. The perfect idea had come to her.

"Team Blaze!" Cindy said proudly. "Not only am I a Fire type, but together, we'll _blaze_ through dungeons like there's a fire in our hearts! What do you think?"

Phoenix considered it for a moment.

"Well, it is fitting for a Fire type like you… And it's true, we will blaze through dungeons…" Phoenix nodded, apparently content with the team name. "Perfect! That's the perfect name!"

Cindy tried not to look too pleased with herself as she muttered "Thanks."

"It was your idea. I just really liked it!" Phoenix said.

Cindy struggled up from the straw bed and hobbled over to Phoenix. "Okay! From this point on, we are now officially Team Blaze!"  
"We will boldly strive to the corners of the lands, exploring for riches and helping out those in need!" Phoenix continued.

"And together, we will be the best exploration team this world has ever seen!" Phoenix and Cindy completed together. "Team Blaze for life!"  
The peppy duo shared a high five before waddling off to bed. It was quite late now, and they were tuckered out from the long day.

Phoenix grabbed a bit of straw from Cindy's bed and made a makeshift cot out of it. He collapsed on the bed, and after a weary "Good night, Cindy…" he was snoring.

Cindy tried as hard as she could to follow his example, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fall asleep. She had too much on her mind.

_Gosh, it's been an exciting day, hasn't it? I woke up with no memory as a Cyndaquil… I trampled through some roses, contracted a fever, and formed an exploration team with a random Piplup… It has been very exciting. And a little painful… _Cindy thought. She rolled over on her bed uncomfortably, her eyes shut, yet sleep continued to evade her.

_I should stop freaking out about this now. I need to sleep. Tomorrow, I'll begin my job as the leader of Team Blaze, and that'll definitely require energy. _She sat still and could finally feel sleep creeping up on her.

_Good night, Phoenix. I'll talk to you tomorrow…_

Cindy let loose a long, tired sigh, and she too finally went to sleep.

XxX

**As for the Espeon and Flareon, don't overthink them. I know, it's unoriginal to have the Eeveelutions in a PMD story, but deal with it.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review.**


	4. The First Job

**Team Blaze's first day on the job! W00T!**

**And if you're gonna ask a question about this story, I would recommend reading the Author's Notes at the bottom of the page before you ask it.  
**

**Ah, I should really just get to the point. Here's Chapter 4. Enjoy.**

Chapter 4: The First Job

Dr. Myers suddenly came to his senses. His eyes snapped open, and what he saw surprised him greatly.

He was lying on the hospital floor just outside Cindy Brandt's room. His head throbbed, and his body ached with every pulse of his heart. It felt as if he had been… squeezed by something.

_What happened? _ Dr. Myers wondered. _I don't remember anything… I just remember telling Cindy about her chemotherapy… but then it's all fuzzy after that…_

The doctor shook his head. _I'll worry about that later. I should get Cindy ready for her chemo._

He pulled himself up off the tile floor and shakily walked up to room 471. Cindy's room.

He knocked on the door. "Cindy? It's me. Are you ready for your chemotherapy?"

There was no response. Maybe she was still sleeping.

Dr. Myers opened the door and found that Cindy was indeed still sleeping. He sat down on the old wooden chair in the corner of the room and examined the redheaded girl lying in bed. "Hello, Cindy. How are you today?"

If Cindy had heard him, she gave no indication that she had.

"Cindy?" he said, somewhat louder this time.

There was still no response.

By now, Dr. Myers was panicking; something a doctor should never do. He had taken somewhat of a liking to Cindy, she was friendly and was usually a cheerful girl. If she had died, he would be crushed.

He held his hand over her heart and was relieved to find that it was still beating. It had slowed down significantly, but it was enough to keep her alive.

He also noticed that her skin was icy cold. Just yesterday, her body was maintaining a stable temperature of 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Nowhere near as cold.

"Cindy? Cindy, can you hear me?" he asked.

Cindy didn't move.

"Oh… oh no…" Dr. Myers tried to keep his hands from shaking as he performed a few basic tests. He tried several more times to rouse the unconscious child, but to no avail. She didn't even stir when the doctor tried to rouse her. The only sign that she was alive at all was the steady rise and fall of her chest.

From there, he proceeded to take Cindy's temperature. As he suspected, her temperature was abnormally low, 67 degrees. She should've been dead by now. So why was she still alive…?

It was a peculiar case that Dr. Myers was faced with. It was as if Cindy's soul had been vacuumed from her mind, leaving her empty shell of a body behind. After running a few more tests, he diagnosed a coma and decided to hook Cindy up to life support.

_I do wonder what happened to her. Yesterday, she was just fine… but now…_

Dr. Myers picked up a nearby phone, his heart heavy with guilt. Now he had to tell her parents about her condition. Their reactions would be painful to listen to.

_But I suppose it wouldn't be fair to leave them in the dark…_

He dialed the number as a tear trickled down his face.

_Just hang on, Cindy…_

XxX

Cindy groaned and woke up, her head throbbing for a brief moment. She briefly had trouble remembering where she was. Was she back in her hospital room? Had the whole "turn into a Pokémon" thing been a morbid dream?

She looked around at her surroundings. Nope. Definitely not the white, sterile hospital room she had been in. She heard peaceful snoring next to her, and when she looked over, she found Phoenix curled up on his bed of straw.

This was no dream. This was reality.

Cindy hobbled up and started to walk to the fountain, which was gurgling pleasantly in the corner. She gazed into it, and instead of a human staring back at her, she saw a Cyndaquil staring back at her.

_Nope, definitely not a dream._

Cindy stared at her reflection in the fountain for a few more minutes before she heard a yawn. She turned around and found that Phoenix had awoken. He stretched his wings and wiped the sleep out of his eyes.

"Good morning, Phoenix!" Cindy said brightly.

"Good morning, Cindy," Phoenix responded. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes. Those Rawst Berries really work. I feel great now!" Cindy said.

"Really? That's good," Phoenix said with a smile. "You're gonna need that energy today. Today's Team Blaze's first day on the job!"

"Yeah!" Cindy said with a gleam in her eyes. "I can't wait to go exploring!"

"I'm glad you feel that way!" Phoenix said happily. He waddled up to the door and motioned for Cindy to follow. "But before we go out into the world, how about I show you around town? There are a bunch of Pokémon I want you to meet, and there are also a bunch of shops there."

"Sure!" Cindy said. "I was looking forward to seeing this town anyway!"

"All right! Let's get going!" Phoenix said gleefully.

He opened up the wooden door with a grin and led the way into the city beyond.

Once they got out of the residential district, they entered the always busy business district. Pokémon bustled around, talking to shopkeepers and other Pokémon. Cindy noticed the Espeon and Flareon that they had met yesterday. They entered a large pink dome-shaped building with worried expressions on their faces.

"What's that building that the Espeon and Flareon just entered?" Cindy asked.

"That? That's the Blissey Health Institute. It's where Nurse Blissey works, but for whatever reason, we haven't been allowed to enter it. Only Katie and Travis are allowed to enter," Phoenix explained.

"Katie and Travis?"

"Yeah! They're good friends of mine. Katie's the Espeon and the Flareon is Travis," Phoenix said. "They also have two more team members, Grant the Umbreon and Chris the Vaporeon, but Grant is lost somewhere and Chris is sick."

"Ah," Cindy said.

Phoenix continued to lead Cindy further into the business district. They met many more Pokémon, but by far the most interesting places were the shops.

"That's the Kecleon Shop. That's your one-stop shop for all your exploration needs! They have Berries, Scarves, Seeds, and more! The only problem is that I'm broke… We can't really buy anything now…" Phoenix said.

The Kecleon Shop was a relatively small building, but the roof was the main attraction. It was large and modeled after a green Kecleon head. There were two Kecleons running the shop: one was green like the building, but had purple skin.

"But when we do finally get some money, we can go and save it up at Liepard Savings and Loan. Liepard is kind of shady at first, but she's really nice once you get to know her," Phoenix said as they passed by a dark purple building. There was a sculpture of a purple cat, a Liepard, was erected on the roof.

"But what happens if you have too many items? Your Explorer Bag can only hold so many Berries," Phoenix said.

"Explorer Bag? I don't even have an Explorer Bag!" Cindy said.

"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll be able to get you one later," Phoenix said reassuringly.

"Anyway, please continue," Cindy prompted.

"Okay. So if you have too many items, you can drop them off at the Kangaskhan Storage. She'll hold on to your items like they were her own!" Phoenix explained as they walked by what was presumably the Kangaskhan Storage.

The Kangaskhan Storage was large and made of what appeared to be adobe. The head of a Kangaskhan was on the roof of the cave-like structure.

"Now, there are a lot more places in the business district, but those are the most important shops in my opinion," Phoenix said as he led Cindy away from the bustle of the main city. "Now, let's go to the most important place for any explorer: the Job Board!"

Phoenix finally stopped in front of a very tall board made of tough wood and cork. Notes of many different sizes were tacked up on the board.

Upon closer inspection, Cindy found that some notes appeared to be advertisements for various shops in the business district. One of them was offering half off Blast Seeds at the Kecleon Shop. Another was advertising the Kangaskhan Storage—"All your items will be safe with me!"

Most of the notes, however, were much more frightening. They were almost like ransom notes. One note said to track down a criminal who had kidnapped a teammate. Another was a plea from a Pikachu: "Hurry… I feel like I'm dying here…"

Cindy examined one of the notes that was posted on the board. It said

_Dear Explorers,_

_Hello! We are Team Eeveelution,_

_and we are in great danger! One_

_of our most valued teammates,_

_Grant, has gone missing while_

_exploring Rocky Outcrop. He's_

_been missing for almost three_

_days now, and we're really_

_worried about him. Please,_

_brave explorers! Help rescue Grant!_

_From Team Eeveelution—_

_Katie, Travis, and Chris._

"Hmm? What are you looking at?" Phoenix asked.

"Didn't you say that your friends were in Team Eeveelution?" Cindy asked.

"Oh! They must've put up a note on the Job Board!" Phoenix said.

"Indeed we did."

Cindy whirled around and found herself face-to-face with the Espeon and Flareon from yesterday. She could assume from the voices that Katie was the Espeon and Travis was the Flareon.

"Hey, you two! How's Chris doing?" Phoenix asked casually.

"Not too good. He looks terrible now," Katie said, looking crestfallen.

"You can barely tell who he is!" Travis cried.

"Oh… But I'm sure that he'll get better soon," Phoenix said.

"Chris? Didn't you say that he was a Vaporeon?" Cindy asked.

Katie and Travis turned to Cindy, their interests piqued. "Oh? Aren't you that Cyndaquil that we saw yesterday?" Travis asked.  
"Yes!" Phoenix put an arm around the Cyndaquil and smiled. "Allow me to introduce her. Katie, Travis, this is Cindy the Cyndaquil. Cindy, meet Katie and Travis!"

"Nice to meet you, Cindy!" Katie said.

"Nice to meet you, too!" Cindy said, holding out a hand to shake. Katie and Travis smiled and shook hands with her.

"Guess what happened last night, guys? Guess! Guess!" Phoenix said excitedly.

"I give up! What happened?" Travis said after a few minutes of thinking.

"Me and Cindy talked about it, and we decided that we should form an exploration team! We're now Team Blaze, and today's our first day on the job!" Phoenix cried happily, his voice slowly accelerating as he continued.

"You did?! Why, that's just splendid! Great job, Phoenix! And you, too, Cindy!" Katie said, giving the duo a serene smile.

"Someday you'll be as good as us!" Travis said.

"Any exploration team needs a badge and an Explorer Bag if they want to be successful. Let's see… I think I have some badges somewhere in here…" Katie began to dig in a burlap sack that was slung over her shoulder. After a minute of frisking around in the bag, she produced two white badges.

"These are Explorer Badges! They signify that you're an official exploration team, so now everyone will know who you are! You can also touch the badges in a dungeon to instantly escape back to your base of operations," Travis explained.

Cindy examined the badges more closely. It was a small ivory circle with an emerald spot in the middle. Gold wings protruded out from the sides. On the back was a small pin.

"How do we pin this on ourselves? I don't wanna have to dig this into my skin. That would be really painful," she said, wincing at the very thought.

"Ah, yes. You're supposed to pin these on your scarves or bandanas, but you don't have any bandanas…" Katie mused. "But I know that we sure do! In fact, we have more than we'd like to admit…"

"So if you want, we'll give you some gear to start off with," Travis offered.

"Really?" Cindy asked.

"Really! We'd love to help you two!" Travis said.

"Thank you!" Phoenix said gratefully.

"I have just the things for you guys!" Katie said.

She grinned and pulled out a bright blue bandana. She set it on the ground next to Phoenix. Katie then pulled out a long stretch of bright yellow ribbon and laid it at Cindy's feet.

"That's a Special Band for you, Phoenix! It'll help increase the power of your Bubble attack!" Katie explained.

Phoenix picked up the bandana and tied it around his neck. He let out a whoop of delight and jumped up, pumping his wing into the air. "Thanks! You're the best!"  
"No problem! And for you, Cindy…" Katie turned to Cindy, who was examining the yellow ribbon. In the bright sun it almost looked gold. "That's called an Aura Bow. It's a really rare item that can supposedly make all your attacks more powerful, but it only works with Pokémon who have a 'yellow aura'. Try it on and see how you do in the dungeon!"

"But if it's so rare and so beneficial, why are you giving it to me?" Cindy questioned.

"One, I'm a kind Pokémon, and I'll always ready to help out. Two, it doesn't work for any of us. I guess we don't have a 'yellow aura' or whatever," Katie said.

Cindy nodded in thanks and tied the ribbon around her neck in a bowtie. Instantly, she felt strength surging in her. She felt as if she could crush a rock.

_Interesting. Maybe I have a "yellow aura", whatever that means…_

Yellow was her favorite color, after all.

"I think it's working for me!" Cindy said.

"It is? Well, that's good. Now, don't forget to pin your badges onto your bandanas, or else they're useless," Travis said.

Cindy pinned the ivory badge on her yellow bowtie, looking quite proud of herself. "Okay! I think we're ready."

"But wait! What about our Explorer Bag? We're gonna need that if we're gonna explore today!" Phoenix exclaimed.

"Well, Explorer Bags are really hard to come by. The Kecleons stock them occasionally, but they're hard to find elsewhere," Katie said.

"We'll tell the Kecleons about your plight and tell them to stock them soon. Until then, I guess you're gonna have to go without an Explorer Bag for a while. I'm sorry," Travis apologized.

"Oh, don't worry! We'll be fine! We'll _blaze _through that dungeon like there's a fire in our hearts!" Phoenix said, giving Cindy a hearty wink.

"Okay, if you insist!" Katie said.

"Good luck! We'll be waiting with your reward when you return!" Travis said.

"Thanks for all you did to help us prepare!" Phoenix thanked.

"It's our pleasure! Now, get out there and show the world what you're made of!" Katie said.

"We will! Let's move out, Cindy!" Phoenix said.

"Yeah!" Cindy agreed, her heart ablaze with a flare for exploring.

The duo gave Katie and Travis a wave farewell, which Team Eeveelution mirrored back. Then the two explorers set off for Rocky Outcrop on their first mission as Team Blaze.

XxX

After several minutes of walking side by side, the landscape began to change. The calm meadow began to evolve into a field of dull rocks and hard-packed dirt until our heroes were walking along the edge of a cliff. They had to be extra careful at this point; if they fell down the cliff, they would probably meet their ends.

After another few minutes of carefully shimmying along the cliff side, Cindy and Phoenix met their first hostile Pokémon. It was a Geodude, which resembled a rock with a face and arms.

Cindy attacked the Geodude with her Ember attack, however, instead of cringing in fear and relenting at the blast of flames, the Geodude simply batted away the flames without a scratch.

"What? Why wasn't it completely decimated by my attack?" Cindy cried as the Geodude leered at her.

"It's a Rock type! He's resistant to your Fire attacks!" Phoenix reported.

"Great… Now what do we do?" Cindy cried.

"Never fear! Phoenix is here!" Phoenix leapt forward at the Geodude and used his Bubble attack. It may have simply been Cindy's imagination, but the bubbles seemed to shimmer with a magical quality.

The stream of bubbles hit the Geodude, who stumbled back in surprise. It seemed especially affected by the attack.

"Yes! I think I got him!" Phoenix cried triumphantly.

Sure enough, when the bubbles all popped, the Geodude was lying on the ground, eyes closed. Phoenix's Bubble had defeated it.

"Nice job!" Cindy said, giving Phoenix a high five.

"Thanks! We can cover for each other's weaknesses, you know! You're strong against Grass types, which I'm weak to, and I'm strong against Rock and Ground types, which you're weak to! We make the perfect team!" Phoenix cried.

"Yeah! I guess it was pretty lucky that I turned into a Cyndaquil," Cindy said.

"Anyway, let's keep going. Grant is waiting!" Phoenix said.

"All right!" Cindy said.

The duo continued to traverse the rocky cliff.

Cindy and Phoenix encountered many more Pokémon. Not just Geodudes, but other Pokémon, such as Machops and even a Starly. They defeated them with relative ease.

Cindy felt stronger as they progressed through the "dungeon". Maybe it was her Yellow Bow, which was still tied around her neck. Maybe it was something else, something that even she didn't know.

Just as Phoenix had said yesterday, they did indeed find items on the ground. From Berries to mysterious Orbs that Phoenix had described as Wonder Orbs, they found quite a bit of treasure. However, due to their lack of an Explorer Bag, they could only carry two items; Cindy could hold onto one item and Phoenix could hold onto one as well.

Finally, after what seemed like a whole week of exploring Rocky Outcrop, the duo heard something that was definitely out of the ordinary.

Someone was moaning, begging, pleading for mercy. The moaning seemed to be coming from behind a large rock. Cindy didn't recognize the voice, but Phoenix apparently did.

"Did you hear that?" Phoenix whispered. "I think that was Grant!"

"Sweet! We found him!" Cindy said.

There was a cough from behind the rock. "You were… looking for me?"

Cindy and Phoenix ran over to the rock and found that a young Umbreon was huddled up behind it. He looked terrible; he was bruised and cut up, and his tan and dark gray fur was ruffled up in a most unattractive manner.

"Hey, Grant. We're here to rescue you," Phoenix said soothingly.

"P… Phoenix?" Grant murmured.

"Yep. It's me. We're an exploration team now," Phoenix said.

"Who's that Cyndaquil there?" Grant asked, looking wearily at Cindy.

"She's Cindy. She's the leader of Team Blaze. Cindy, this is Grant," Phoenix introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Cindy said.

"Nice to meet you, too," Grant said, weakly holding out a paw.

"Anyway, let's get back to Center City. Katie and Travis are worried about you," Phoenix said.

"Katie… Travis… I'm sorry…" Grant apologized, tiny tears in his eyes. "I didn't mean to make you so worried…"

"Don't worry! Now you can come back with us!" Cindy said.

"Yeah… Enough moping around! Let's get going!" Grant said. "Touch your badges and we'll be teleported back to Center City! I lost mine, so I got stranded here, unfortunately…"

Cindy and Phoenix nodded.

Grant weakly raised a paw up to Phoenix's badge. He was engulfed in a bright column of light for a moment, and when the column vanished, he was gone.

"Okay, that is cool," Phoenix said.

"Hurry! Let's get out of here before night falls!" Cindy said impatiently.

They both reached up to their tiny badges and placed their hands on them at the same time. There was a bright yellow light…

XxX

The next thing Cindy knew, she was back in Center City by the Job Board. Phoenix was right next to her, looking about as shocked as she felt.

Grant was right next to them, along with a very relieved Katie and Travis. He still looked somewhat frazzled thanks to his five days on Rocky Outpost, but he appeared to be recovered enough to smile.

"Thanks for rescuing me. I was starting to worry that I'd never see my teammates again!" Grant thanked them.

"No problem! It was our pleasure!" Phoenix said with a grin.

"I'm so glad that you're safe… I was really worried about you…" Katie said, nuzzling Grant affectionately.

"Yeah! I was freaking out here! I could hardly sleep!" Travis said.

"Well, I lost my Explorer Badge, so I couldn't get back. I'm sorry for worrying you guys," Grant said.

"We need to get yourself a new Explorer Badge, mister!" Katie said playfully.

"Did you find any Luminous Moss while you were there?" Travis asked.

_Luminous Moss? What's that? _Cindy thought. She had never heard of Luminous Moss.

"Nope. All those rumors about Luminous on Rocky Outcrop are just that, rumors," Grant said sadly.

"Ah," Katie said sadly.

"What's Luminous Moss?" Phoenix asked.

Katie turned to Phoenix with a sad smile. "Luminous Moss is this really soft and bright moss that can supposedly heal any skin blemishes," she explained.

"It's been rumored to grow on Rocky Outcrop and in Medicine Forest, but we've apparently just proved that rumor false," Travis said.

"That's why I went to the outcrop—I was looking for Luminous Moss to help with Chris's disease," Grant explained.

"What's going on with Chris?" Cindy asked out of curiosity.

"We don't know. A few months ago, he started to get these weird purple spots on his skin. We took him into Nurse Blissey, and she said that it was some sort of super contagious disease. She warned us that we may have been infected, but so far, nothing really bad has happened," Katie said.

"But Chris has to be quarantined at the Blissey Health Institute. Ever since then, he hasn't been able to do what he loves best: explore with his friends…" Travis trailed off.

"You would like Chris. He's the wisecracker of our group. Even in the direst situations, he'll find some way to make a joke," Grant said.

Cindy and Phoenix were silent for a moment, silently digesting the information about Chris the Vaporeon. It seemed like they would like Chris: Cindy loved funny people and Phoenix liked jokesters. But now, he had some crazy contagious disease that put a hamper on his wisecracks. It was quite sad to think about.

"Anyway, thanks for rescuing Grant. We'll give you a reward if you'd like," Travis offered.

"Oh no, it's okay. We don't want to take your money," Phoenix said bashfully.

"That's no way to speak! You're never gonna get better as an exploration team if you keep turning down rewards!" Katie said.

"So we're gonna reward you with something, and I think you're gonna like it," Travis said slyly.

It was then that Cindy noticed a second leather satchel slung over Katie's shoulder.

Katie smiled. "Yep! The Kecleons stocked a satchel just for you! They didn't even expect payment!"

"The Kecleon brothers are nice like that. They're always willing to help any explorer in need," Travis said respectfully.

Katie shook the second sash off her shoulder. "Here. It's for you!"

Cindy walked over to the leather Explorer Bag, which was lying on the dusty ground. "Thanks, guys. Thanks a lot."

"No problem!" Grant said. "After all, you did save me from starvation out there on Rocky Outcrop. And now I'm reunited with Travis, and Katie…" He stared longingly at the Espeon, who seemed to be blushing now.

"Anyway, there's also 300 Poké in your bag for a job well done! Now you can go and start up a savings account at Liepard Savings and Loan!" Travis said.

Cindy unfastened the bag and found a small side compartment that clinked with a metallic sound. She unbuttoned the side pocket and discovered a pile of shimmering gold coins in it.

"Whoa… Thank you so much," Cindy breathed. She grabbed one of the coins and held it out in the dying sunlight. On one side was what appeared to be a letter "P" with two lines through it. On the other side, the phrase "In Arceus We Trust" was engraved in the coin.

"That's more money than I've ever had in my life! If we keep getting money from our jobs, we'll be rich in a matter of days!" Phoenix cried.

"But the real reason that we're an exploration team isn't for the money, Phoenix. It's so that we can help out Pokémon. To me, the real treasure is a Pokémon's smiling face!" Cindy reminded him.

_She's starting to speak like a native Pokémon now, even though she's only been a Cyndaquil for a day… _Phoenix silently observed. _In fact, if I didn't know better, I would've assumed that she's been living here all her life…_

"Yeah, good point…" Phoenix conceded.

Katie glanced up at the sky, which was now dark blue and dotted with stars. Cindy was amazed at how much time had passed. It only seemed as if she'd been awake for a few minutes, but now it was nighttime.

"Anyway, it's getting late. We're gonna go check in on Chris, then we'll turn in for the night. Thanks for helping Grant out, Team Blaze!" Katie said.

"No problem!" Cindy said.

"Talk to you later, guys!" Phoenix said.

"Bye!" Katie said, leading her teammates away. Soon they were lost in the crowded city.

"How about we turn in, too? It's been a long and fulfilling day, and if we're gonna continue our explorations, we're gonna need some serious energy," Phoenix said.

"Yeah," Cindy agreed. As if on cue, the duo let loose huge yawns at the exact same moment.

"Okay! Lead the way, Cindy!" Phoenix said gleefully.

The human-turned-Cyndaquil nodded and began to march back into the residential district. It was getting late and not many Pokémon were out, but a few shady looking figures still roamed the streets. Cindy ignored them all and led the way back to Phoenix's house.

Neither of the giddy teammates knew what was in store for them the next day.

XxX

**CLIFFHANGER!**

**Mwahaha. I'm so evil.**

**Anyway, before we leave, I would like to clear a few things up.**

**Why did I put the Eeveelutions in this story? They've been done to death!**

**Well, a couple of my close friends requested that I make Pokemon based off of them in this story. They all wanted to be Eevee evolutions, and, well, I didn't want to make them upset. So I made characters based off them. (Note: their names have been changed to protect their privacy.)**

**Why is some of this chapter in Dr. Myers's POV?**

**I don't really know, to be honest. I just decided that I should occasionally check in on the real world so you can see how the human Cindy is doing, I guess.**

**So... that's about it, I guess. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to review!**


	5. Shock and Law

**Yay! Christmas is almost here! I'm super excited!**

**I have a very... special gift for you. A new chapter. I hope you enjoy...**

**WARNING: This chapter is INCREDIBLY gruesome. (at least to me) Continue at your own risk...**

Chapter 5: Shock and Law

Cindy woke up the next day and once again had the brief feeling that she was back home, in the human world. She once again checked her reflection in the fountain to see if anything had changed about her, but the only new addition to her look was the yellow ribbon tied around her neck.

She picked up her new Explorer Bag, which had been lying next to her straw bed the whole night. Out of habit, she checked the side pocket to see if the gold coins had been stolen. Luckily, they were all still there.

Phoenix yawned and sat up off his bed, stretching his wings and rubbing his eyes. "Good morning, Cindy!" he said somewhat sleepily. "Let's make this another great day!"

"Yeah!" Cindy agreed.

She led Phoenix out of his house and was about to make a beeline for the Job Board before she remembered the coins clinking in her new Explorer Bag.

"Hey, before we get going on our exploration for the day, can we go to the Kecleon Shop and maybe stock up on some items? We've got some money now," Cindy reasoned.

"That does sound like a good idea…" Phoenix said.

"Then, once we're finished with our shopping spree, we can deposit the rest of our money at Liepard Savings and Loan! Then we can go get a job for that day. How does that sound?" Cindy continued.

"That sounds like a plan!" Phoenix said.

"All right. Let's get going to the business district!" Cindy said, opening the door and leading her partner out into the bright sunshine.

A few minutes later, they were in the business district, which was as bustling as ever. Cindy and Phoenix spotted Team Eeveelution and gave them a friendly smile. Team Eeveelution didn't have time to chat; they entered the Blissey Health Institute, presumably to check in on Chris.

After a while of squeezing through the hordes of shopping Pokémon, Cindy and Phoenix finally found the Kecleon Shop.

There were two Kecleons running the shop: one of them was green and one was purple. Behind the two Kecleons was a huge selection of items, from Berries to Scarves to Wonder Orbs.

"Welcome, new explorers, to the Kecleon Shop!" the Kecleons said at the same time.

"Who might you two be?" the purple Kecleon asked.

"I'm Phoenix, and this is Cindy. And we're Team Blaze!" Phoenix introduced.

"Cindy? Phoenix? Why, we heard about you yesterday! Aren't you friends of Team Eeveelution?" the green Kecleon asked.

"Yeah!" Phoenix said.

"Well, anyone who's a friend to Team Eeveelution is a friend to us! I hope we can be good friends together!" the green Kecleon said jovially.

"I hope so too," Cindy said.

"Anyway, do you have anything here that we can buy for 300 Poké?" Phoenix asked.

"We do!" the purple Kecleon said.

"If you want to last longer in a dungeon, we might recommend an Apple or an Oran Berry! If you want to enhance your dungeon performance, you might wanna buy a Scarf! And if you want to trip up your opponents, buy a Seed!" the green Kecleon said, gesturing to the impressive rows of merchandise behind him.

Cindy looked at the price tags on the various items for sale and did some math in her head. _If Oran Berries are fifty Poké and Apples are only 25 Poké, then we can buy two Apples and two Oran Berries and still have half our money…_

"We'll take two Oran Berries and two Apples. That should be enough to take us through the day," Cindy said, fishing out the correct sum of money. She placed the gold coins on the counter and waited as the green Kecleon fetched the items from the back shelf.

He handed two ripe red apples and two blue berries to Cindy. "Here you are, my dear. Let's see…" He quickly looked through the gold coins that Cindy had given him, checking to make sure that she hadn't overpaid or underpaid. He was apparently satisfied, however.

"Thank you for doing business with us, Team Blaze! We hope we can provide all the items you need for future explorations," the green Kecleon said with a salesperson smile.

"No problem, guys! Have a great—whoa!" Phoenix turned away from the Kecleon Shop and was nearly barreled over by two figures rushing up to the counter.

They both resembled cats to Cindy, but what kind of cat stands on two legs and has blue fur? At least, one of them had blue fur. The other cat had white fur, but other than that, the two Pokémon looked exactly the same. Cindy recognized them as Meowstics.

"Oh my! Hello, you two!" Cindy said, flustered.

"Misters Kecleon!" the blue-furred Meowstic said breathlessly. "Misters Kecleon! Please help us!"

"Who are they?" Phoenix asked.

"Oh! I'm sorry for not introducing ourselves. We're Team Psykitties. I'm Meow, and this is my brother, Stick," the white-furred Meowstic said. Cindy then noticed that Meow had small tears in her eyes.

"Anyway, what seems to be the matter, Meow and Stick?" the purple Kecleon asked.

"M-my sister… Her Soul Pendant got stolen by Big Bad Bagon…" Stick said sadly.

Phoenix turned to Cindy, concern in his eyes. "Big Bad Bagon? Oh my Arceus, not him…"

"Big Bad Bagon? Who's he?" Cindy questioned.

"He's a Bagon, and he's a master thief. He makes sure no one's around, and then… he steals your most precious item…" Phoenix shuddered, the very thought disturbing him. "Then he retreats to Mt. Brigand, where he stays secluded with all his priceless treasures. He's eluded capture for nearly a year now."

"Yikes. That sounds terrible," Cindy said, also shuddering at the thought. "Also, what's a Soul Pendant?"

"My sister got it from my parents when she was just a toddler. Ever since then, it's been our most prized possession. And now that we've lost it…" Stick trailed off as Meow let out a sob.

"Hey… Where did you say Big Bad Bagon was hiding?" Cindy asked.

"Once he steals from you, he runs off to Mt. Brigand. He stays there until he wants to go out and steal from someone else," Phoenix said.

"Well, then!" Cindy turned to Meow and Stick. "We'll get your Soul Pendant back from the Big Bad Bagon!"

"But… he's a super powerful criminal! Two beginners like you could never dream of taking him down! No offense," Meow added quickly.

It somewhat disturbed Cindy that Meow knew that they were only beginners. They had never told them.

_Maybe they overheard us when we were talking to the Kecleons…? Whatever. It doesn't matter now,_ she thought.

"None taken. But we'll never get any better if we don't challenge ourselves!" Phoenix said.

"So you're really gonna go get my Soul Pendant back?" Meow whispered.

"Sure!" Cindy said.

"Oh… thank you!" Meow encased Cindy and Phoenix in a large, warm hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I was worried that no one would help us out…"

"No problem! Now, let's get going, Cindy!" Phoenix said, breaking away from Meow's hug.

"Oh, but watch out, you two. When we encountered him… he looked terrible. It was like he was… decomposing. He was covered in purple and green blotches, and his voice was all wheezy…"

"Okay. We'll watch out for him. Thanks for the heads-up," Phoenix assured Team Psykitties.

"We'll get your Soul Pendant back before you can say 'Big Bad Bagon'!" Cindy said.

"Big Bad Bagon. Anyway, you two should get going. Good luck!" Stick said with a smile.

"Thanks! See you!" And Cindy led the way out to Mt. Brigand.

XxX

Mt. Brigand was a very formidable looking mountain, the explorers noted. It was very tall and rocky, and the ledges were incredibly steep.

As Team Blaze stood in the shadow of the rocky mountain, they heard a very strange noise from the top of the mountain.

It sounded like someone was dying. The mystery noise was wheezy, as if someone was sick or running out of air. It echoed down the steep sides of the mountain and made shivers run down Cindy's spine.

"What's that?" Cindy whispered.

"I don't know, but I don't wanna find out…" Phoenix whispered back.

"But we can't chicken out. We promised that we'd get Meow's Soul Pendant back, and I intend to hold that promise," Cindy said firmly.

Phoenix nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry for being a chicken. We have to be strong," he said with a grim determination in his eyes.

"Well, let's get going. I don't want to leave Meow and Stick waiting," Cindy said.

To this, Phoenix simply nodded.

With a bold determination in their hearts, the duo began the hike up Mt. Brigand.

The hostile residents of Mt. Brigand were quite similar to those of Rocky Outcrop: Geodudes, Machops, and the occasional Starly. However, now, a new resident joined the battle: Nidorans.

Some Nidorans were purple and had sharp horns, while some were a light blue with not as pointy horns. Both of them proved to be very formidable, just like the rocky mountain where they lived.

Between the Pokémon and the rocky terrain, Team Blaze had quite a bit of difficulty hiking up the mountain. Only Meow's request for help pushed the plucky heroes onward.

The wheezing got louder and more frequent as they got closer to the summit. By now, Cindy was definitely curious about what was making the noise. She desperately wanted to discover the source of the wheezing, however, she was also very scared.

_Who's making that awful wheezing? Or… what? Gosh, it's so unnerving to be stuck on a mountain in an unfamiliar world with an unknown noise… But we have to press on. For Meow._

Soon it sounded like the wheezing was right above Cindy and Phoenix.

"Oh no… I'm scared, Cindy…" Phoenix muttered, grabbing the Cyndaquil's hand in his teal wings. "I don't wanna know what that noise is…"

"Don't worry, Phoenix. It'll be fine! We'll find out what that noise is, find the Big Bad Bagon, defeat him, and leave with Meow's Soul Pendant! It'll be fine!" Cindy said with a sunny smile.

Phoenix took a deep breath, steadying himself. "You're right. We need to do this. Everything will be okay…" he murmured to himself.

"Are you ready?" Cindy asked after Phoenix had a few minutes to himself.

"I think I am…" Phoenix said tremulously, though he still seemed really scared. Then again, Cindy wouldn't pretend that she wasn't.

"Okay. Let's get going."

Cindy held her head high and led onward, her heart racing and her stomach in knots.

A few moments later, the duo reached the peak of Mt. Brigand.

The view was spectacular. The sky was a bright blue with the sun blazing above. Cindy looked over the edge and found that the rocky terrain was obscured by a shroud of mist. The air was a little stuffy, which may have explained why someone was wheezing.

_Speaking of that dreadful wheezing… What's making that noise? _Cindy thought.

Her eyes scanned the flat mountain top, looking for the source of the sound. At first, it seemed as if there was nothing of note… but then she saw the huge pile of jewels and treasures, and the Pokémon sitting in front of it.

It was a Bagon, but its body… its body… it was terribly disfigured. It was covered in huge blotches of dark purple and green. Its eyes were swollen so much that they were almost shut. Its mouth was the source of the wheezing. It was gaping wide open, revealing a swollen, slimy blue tongue.

Around its neck was the only thing of beauty. It was a necklace fashioned out of a green vine. A dark blue gemstone dotted with shimmering white spots hung on it. Cindy guessed that it was Meow's Soul Pendant. It looked horribly out of place on the disgusting Bagon's body.

The whole situation was terrifying, enough to give both Cindy and Phoenix nightmares.

"Who are you? Some sort of big-shot exploration team, here to defeat the Big Bad Bagon?" the Bagon croaked. His voice was ragged and dry, vaguely reminding Cindy of the desert.

"We are… Team Blaze… and… we're here to defeat you… and reclaim what you have stolen," Cindy said shakily, her stomach in knots.

Bagon struggled up, focusing his swollen eyes on the explorers. "You're scared of me, aren't you? Why else would you be so tremulous?"

"Well… you're quite…" Phoenix said, struggling to find the right words.

"Oh. You're scared of what the bug did to me, huh?" he croaked.

"The _what_?" Cindy cried.

"The bug, guys! That's the reason that I look this terrible! It's horrid, isn't it?" Bagon said weakly. "And of course, I can't go to a doctor and have it diagnosed. It would be like me walking right into a police station. Suicide."  
Phoenix grunted. Cindy looked at the Piplup and saw an enraged yet determined look on his face. "Enough messing around, Bagon. We're here to defeat you, and defeat you we will. You will fight us, won't you? You won't blame it on the _bug_ or whatever?"

"Mmm… maybe. I have a feeling that my time's almost up, and man, it would be good to have one more scrap before the end…" Bagon considered the challenge for a moment before nodding. "Alright. It's settled. I wanna fight you. But I'm just sayin' that this disease could be transmitted to you… Do you really wanna look like me?"

Cindy felt Phoenix waver. It was a truly terrifying thought that by fighting Bagon, they too might end up like him.

"Good point… but… We'll be careful, I guess…?" Phoenix said.

Bagon hobbled toward Cindy and Phoenix, letting out a harsh laugh. "That's the fighting spirit, kids! Now, here we go! Don't hold back, okay? I'm doomed to die, even if I win this battle."

"It's on, Bagon!" Cindy cried.

And the battle began.

Cindy started out with a bang. She spat out a stream of flames that hit Bagon right in his disfigured face. Phoenix followed up with a blast of bubbles at the criminal. Both battlers felt that they had injured Bagon greatly. Once the bubbles and embers cleared, however, Bagon was still there. He hadn't even been knocked over by the attack.

Phoenix cursed. "Dang it! I keep on forgetting that Dragon types are resistant to Fire and Water!" He got into his fighting stance and prepared to attack Bagon again.

"Ha ha… You guys really don't know about us Dragons, do you? We resist Grass, Fire, Water, and Electric types," Bagon taunted.

"Okay, that's it. Now I'm going to attack you with my Pound attack! You're not resistant to that, are you?!" Phoenix got into his fighting stance and prepared to leap at Bagon…

Suddenly, Cindy reached forward and grabbed Phoenix before he could execute his attack. "Don't do it!" she screamed.

Phoenix looked at her strangely. "What do you mean? Our Fire and Water attacks won't do anything to him. We're gonna have to use our physical attacks if we wanna do any real damage."

"Can't you see? If we were to make direct contact with him, his disease might be transmitted to us. You wouldn't want to end up like him, would you?" Cindy pointed out.

"My, you're smarter than you look. That's right. I do believe that this disease is spread through direct contact, so it wouldn't be wise to charge at me. But I digress. Now it's time for me to make my move," Bagon said menacingly.

He hobbled forward, and much to the relief of Cindy and Phoenix, he didn't use a contact attack. Instead, he let loose a blast of purple energy that hit Cindy in the stomach. She grunted and stumbled back, down, but not out.

Cindy proceeded to use Ember again while Phoenix used Bubble once more. Bagon didn't attack this time; instead, he spent his "turn" resting from the strain of the attack.

And the battle continued like that. Cindy and Phoenix would continuously use Bubble and Ember respectively, and Bagon would use his purple energy attack, that is, if he had the strength to. Most of the time, he couldn't attack because he was so weak.

It was quite monotonous attacking Bagon with weak attacks, but eventually, Bagon led loose a huff and collapsed on the ground, defeated.

"Ha ha ha ha ha… Great! That was a great battle! I finally feel alive again…" Bagon wheezed. He began to violently cough, his body shaking. He didn't look at all like a famed criminal; he looked more like an ailing peasant.

Cindy didn't know what to do in this situation. One part of her wanted to help Bagon up and apologize for beating up on him. The other part of her wanted to finish him off now. Why should she be sympathetic to him? He was a criminal!

Before Cindy could decide what to do, Bagon continued to speak. "That was great, kids. Great. I've been able to have one last battle before my end. I feel great now," Bagon wheezed.

Phoenix took an apprehensive step forward. "Um… do you understand what you've done wrong now, Bagon? Stealing is never right. It's a terrible thing to do, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Stealing's bad, I should be punished, yada yada. I've gotten that lecture a hundred times. I'm dying, for Arceus's sake! I don't wanna die listening to you two lecturing me on morals!" Bagon snapped.

Cindy examined Bagon's body. It was true; he looked terrible. He was lying on the ground, wheezing once more. His blotched body was racked with coughs. He looked like he was about to die. Phoenix was right. They should give him a chance to relax in his final minutes.

"Oh… okay," Cindy said shakily. "I'm sorry for beating up on you… Surely you understand why we had to…"

"Oh, don't be. I'm a criminal, I deserve what I have coming for me." Bagon coughed once more and unfastened the Soul Pendant from his thick neck. He weakly tossed it to Cindy and Phoenix. "Here you go. Return it to Meow and Stick and tell 'em that the Big Bad Bagon is no more. You got that, kids?"

Cindy took an apprehensive step forward to the Soul Pendant. She slowly reached down and placed her hands on the glittering gem, her eyes meeting Bagon's eyes for a moment. His eyes seemed to sparkle through his swollen eyelids.

"I'm fine, sweetie. Don't you concern yourself over me," he said roughly.

Cindy nodded and picked up the pendant, placing it in her bag. She silently retreated to Phoenix, who was almost crying now.

"All right, kids. It looks like my time is up. Thanks for battling me one last time. I appreciate it." He took a deep, shuddering breath and closed his eyes. "See ya in the great beyond."

He released his breath one last time and smiled, his face relaxed. Not a wrinkle of pain or worry graced his face.

And then he was gone. The Big Bad Bagon was no more.

Cindy unexpectedly found herself choked up. She let loose a wail and raced up to Phoenix, burying herself in his arms. Something tickled her cheek, and she found that she was indeed crying.

She was quite confused about why she was so upset over Bagon's death. They had succeeded in their job. They had defeated the Big Bad Bagon and retrieved Meow's Soul Pendant. She should be happy now. But all she could feel in her body was sadness.

"Phoenix… I… I…" Cindy tried to choke out a sentence, but she couldn't. She found it nearly impossible to breathe, much less speak.

"It's okay, Cindy. It's okay," Phoenix said softly, rubbing his wing on Cindy's head.

"But… but…" She completely gave up on talking at this point and let out a defeated wail. The tears were really flowing now, dampening her cheek and splashing on Phoenix's arms.

"Let's go home. We'll give Meow her Soul Pendant back, and then we'll go home. It's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay," Phoenix said.

Cindy slid out of Phoenix's arms and nodded, her hand reaching up to her Explorer Badge. She took one last look at Bagon's blotchy body.

_I'm so sorry we had to do this, Bagon… _she thought sadly.

Cindy sighed. She wiped a tear away from her face, and with a slow nod, she touched her badge. A bright light engulfed her sobbing body, and the duo teleported away from Mt. Brigand.

XxX

Meow and Stick were standing by the Kecleon Shop, eagerly awaiting Team Blaze.

"Oh my gosh! You're back! Did you find it? Did you get my Soul Pendant back?" Meow said, bouncing up and down excitedly.

Cindy grabbed the necklace out of her bag and handed it to the bouncing Meowstic. "Here."

Meow's face brightened when she saw the blue gem. She let out a squeal of happiness and proceeded to clasp it around her neck. "What do you think? Do I look pretty?"  
Stick, who had been lingering behind Meow for the whole conversation, noticed Cindy and Phoenix's crestfallen looks. He stepped in front of Meow and cocked his head curiously.

"Hey, why the long faces? You succeeded in getting the Pendant back, so why are you so blue?" he asked.

"Well… When we met the Big Bad Bagon…"

Phoenix launched into an explanation over what had happened on the mountain. Cindy helped when she could; most of the time, however, she was too depressed to speak. She was still having trouble processing the events that had happened on Mt. Brigand, but she knew one thing: Bagon was dead.

Phoenix also found himself barely holding in tears. When they got to the part about the aftermath of the battle, his voice wavered, and he couldn't explain it.

"He's no longer with us" was all he could say. Then he dropped his gaze.

Meow and Stick were silent, quietly digesting Phoenix's explanation. Meow was still glad that her Soul Pendant had been retrieved, but less so now. Even though the Big Bad Bagon was a criminal, everyone was sad that he had passed on.

"Oh…" Stick murmured.

"Well, you did what you needed to do, I guess," Meow added.

Stick reached into his Explorer Bag and fished out a small handful of coins and a large, ripe red apple. "Here's your reward. Thanks for getting her Pendant back," he said shortly.

Cindy and Phoenix nodded and watched as the duo walked away.

"Phoenix… Did we really do the right thing back there? We could've helped him, you know. We could've given him an… an Oran Berry or something…" Cindy said helplessly.

"Something tells me that an Oran Berry wouldn't have helped him," Phoenix said.

"You're avoiding the question. Do you think we did the right thing?" Cindy repeated, a little more firm this time.

"I… It's hard to say. It's like what Meow said: we did what we had to do, I guess…" Phoenix said.

Cindy nodded and wiped away the last of her tears. "Yeah. You're right. We can't afford to get all upset. We won't accomplish anything as an exploration team if we get all wishy-washy. We have to move on," she said boldly.

Phoenix smiled. "That's the Cindy we all know and love!" He playfully thumped Cindy on her back. She smiled.

"Yeah. Let's go back to our home and rest up for tomorrow. We'll need our strength if we wanna of well tomorrow," Cindy said.

"Great idea," Phoenix agreed.

With one last look at Meow and Stick's retreating figures, they waddled away from the business district and retreated into the residential district.

XxX

**I have one word that can sum up the virus: DISGUSTING.**

**I'm sure you all agree with me.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review...**


	6. Final Moments

**I've redone this chapter to try and add some more humor to it, but honestly, it almost made it worse. Now it's nothing more than a pathetic mishmash of subtle pop culture references. Ugh.**

**But I digress.**

**Um... I hope you enjoy, I guess? Also, merry super-late Christmas.**

**WARNING: Another disgusting death in this chapter. Continue at your own risk...**

Chapter 6: Final Moments

Cindy's mother and father burst into their daughter's hospital room, worried expressions on their faces. Only a few minutes ago, Dr. Myers had called them, reporting that Cindy had fallen into a comatose state. They had rushed to the hospital immediately.

The doctor was waiting for them. He too looked quite worried.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Brandt. Thank you for arriving so promptly," he said unsteadily.

"Cindy," Mrs. Brandt said breathlessly. "Where is our little bonbon?"

"Ah, yes. That is what I was about to say…" Dr. Myers said. He turned around and gestured to the spotless white hospital bed. What they saw was almost too much to bear.

Cindy was lying on the bed, the covers pulled up over her unconscious body. Her skin looked abnormally pale and her red hair was messily sprawled all over the pillow.

"Cindy!" Mrs. Brandt shrieked. "Cindy, are you okay?! Speak to me, Cindy! Speak to me!"

Cindy didn't even flutter her eyelids.

"Cindy!" Mrs. Brandt raced up to the unconscious girl and clutched her hand, recoiling at how cold her skin was. "Oh, baby, what happened?!"

"This morning, I came in and decided to check in on Cindy, prepare her for the chemo and all. However, I found her unconscious and unresponsive. I have deduced that she has fallen into a coma," Dr. Myers reported. "I also found that her temperature has plummeted. Yesterday, her temperature was normal, but today, it's 67 degrees. She should be dead by now, but she's still alive…"

"Quite curious…" Mr. Brandt, who was much calmer than his wife, suddenly spoke up. "But I'm not complaining. As long as our little bonbon is still alive, we'll be just fine."

"I hooked her up to life support, so she'll be okay in her coma. However, I must warn you of this…" Dr. Myers took a deep breath. This was always the hardest part. "She may not be able to recover from her coma. If she stays in her coma for more than four months, we'll have no choice but to disconnect her from life support…"

"No!" Mrs. Brandt wailed. "No! No! Absolutely no! I don't care if she has to stay in a coma for the rest of her life, I will _never_ let you disconnect her!"

Mr. Brandt put a hand on his hysterical wife's shoulder. "Sweetie… If she doesn't recover anytime soon, then we'll have to do it. It would be best for her, you know…"

Mrs. Brandt sighed. "…I guess you're right…"

"I certainly hope it doesn't come down to that," Mr. Brandt said sullenly.

Dr. Myers nodded. "Very well." He exited the room without another word.

Mrs. Brandt kissed Cindy on her frigid forehead. "It's gonna be okay, bonbon. Just hang in there…"

XxX

_ Darkness._

_ Darkness everywhere._

_ Nothing could be seen in this never-ending darkness._

_ Cindy tried to move, but she couldn't move. She wasn't even sure that she had a body anymore. The only thing she could do was think, and even that required an exorbitant about of effort._

_ "Hello?" she called. "Where am I? Is anyone there?"_

_ She was answered by a voice, a dry and raspy voice that was quite familiar._

** _"So, Cindy, you're finally here."_**

_ The dry voice came from everywhere and nowhere. It was followed by a fit of wheezing that sounded very familiar._

_ "W… Who are you? Where are you?!" Cindy cried out in her mind, though she already knew who it was._

_ **"My, my, you're even stupider than I thought. How could you forget me?" **the voice said._

_ Now she knew who the voice belonged to. And she wasn't very eager to meet the speaker._

_ "You… You're Big Bad Bagon, aren't you?" Cindy said._

_ Dry chuckling rang out through the world of nothing._

_ **"Very good. I am Bagon, and I am here to exact my revenge."**_

_ A dim outline appeared in front of Cindy. The outline slowly grew clearer as Cindy watched in horror. In a matter of seconds, her worst nightmare was in front of her._

_ Bagon looked even more gruesome now. His body was blotched with purple and green rashes. His eyes were completely swollen shut. His whole body was glistening, as if it had been coated with slime. He reeked of decay and death._

_ "WAAAAAAAH! G-get away from me!" Cindy cried._

_ The thing in front of her laughed harshly and began to advance forward. **"Fool… You can never escape death…"  
** "W-what?! What do you mean?!" Cindy cried._

_ **"Look down… You'll see what I mean…" **Bagon rasped._

_ Cindy didn't want to look down. She had the feeling that something terrible awaited her if she was to look down._

_ "No… I don't wanna…" Cindy moaned._

_ **"You're gonna be stubborn, aren't you? Very well, then…"**_

****_Some unseen force slammed into the back of Cindy's nonexistent head, forcing her to look down at what was left of her body._

_ Her body was in terrible shape. Her hands were covered with green and purple blotches that sparkled slimily and reeked of decay. Fatigue overtook her, rendering her unable to move. Her whole body screamed in pain._

_ "No… Don't show this to me…" she murmured weakly._

_ **"It will come. The virus will crush even the strongest resistances. You can never escape it. You can never escape death…" **Bagon echoed._

_ Cindy screamed. She could feel her body slowly decaying… Her vision went black once more… she couldn't open her eyes… they had swollen shut… she couldn't breathe… she was dying… dying…_

_ She screamed once more, but this time, it was more of a guttural gargle…_

_ Pain overtook her…_

_ And her nightmare shattered with a crack._

XxX

Cindy the Cyndaquil awoke with a scream.

"EEEEEEEEEK! N-n-no! Don't! Don't kill me! Don't! Make it stop… make it stop…" she screamed.

She felt terrible. Her muscles ached and her neck was cramped from sleeping on her side. Her tongue seemed swollen as well, but that may have simply been her imagination.

Cindy tried desperately to forget the terrible nightmare that she had witnessed, but she simply couldn't forget it. It was just… Bagon's voice… Bagon's appearance… Cindy's appearance as a dying, decaying Cyndaquil…

Cindy frantically looked down at her body, panic seeping into her soul. If she looked anything like she did in her nightmare, she'd go kill herself. It would be best for everyone, especially for herself.

But to her eternal relief, her skin was unblemished.

The panic in her body slowly subsided, though she still felt on edge. She still felt Bagon's swollen eyes staring into her soul…

"Ungh… Cindy? What's all that screaming about?"

Phoenix had awoken. He looked like he had under slept; his feathers were ruffled and his eyes portrayed a weary look.

"Oh… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up… I was just having a nightmare…" Cindy apologized hastily.

For a brief second, Cindy noticed a shocked look on Phoenix's face, as if he too had had a nightmare. But it was so brief that she thought it was simply her imagination. She pretended that she hadn't noticed Phoenix's shock.

"Oh really? Well, that's okay. I wasn't getting much sleep anyway," Phoenix said, rubbing his eyes. "Whatever. It's only a dream, right?"

"Yeah…" Cindy murmured.

She desperately wanted to believe that it was only a dream. Yesterday was a stressful day. It was only natural that her mind might wander during the night. But still… it felt so real…

"Anyway, let's get back to exploring. We can't mope around about yesterday forever, can we?" Phoenix asked.

"Nope. You're right. Let's just forget about yesterday," Cindy said.

"Okay! Here's to another good day of exploring!" Phoenix said, pumping his wing into the air.

"Hooray!" Cindy said, mirroring this action.

And the two walked out of the house hand-in-hand, ready for another fun day of exploring.

XxX

Cindy and Phoenix gradually fell into a routine during the next few days. Wake up, check out the deals in the business district, explore and take jobs, get the reward, go to bed, repeat. It was a fairly straightforward plan, and the duo rarely strayed from it.

Occasionally, they'd check in with Team Eeveelution and ask how Chris was doing. Their report wasn't very good.

Five days after Cindy's transformation, Team Eeveelution approached them with terrible news: Chris was in a critical state.

"He's wheezing and coughing so bad that he can barely talk. Oh, how I miss his jokes…" Katie reported, her furry pink head hanging low.

The next day wasn't much better.

"He looks terrible. His eyes are nearly swollen shut and his skin is all blotchy. He smells like he's dead," Grant said sadly.

The day after that was the worst.

"Nurse Blissey said… she said that Chris is going to die within three days," Travis said through his tears.

"He's going to die?!" Phoenix cried.

"That's terrible!" Cindy yelled.

"I know," Katie agreed.

"You two would've loved Chris. He was awesome," Grant said.

"Him and I were best buddies. Even in the direst situations, he'd crack a joke. I miss those days…" Travis said wistfully.

"Can we come in and see him?" Phoenix asked, concern in his tones.

"I'm sorry, but no. Only we can enter the Blissey Health Institute. We have special permission from Nurse Blissey herself," Katie apologized. "However, if the Nurse is kind enough, we might be able to secure permission for you two to enter."

"Sure," Cindy muttered.

"Okay! See you, Phoenix and Cindy," Grant said.

Katie nodded and led the team towards the large pink building that was the Blissey Health Institute.

"See you," Phoenix said, waving his wing at the retreating backs of Team Eeveelution.

Once the trio had entered the building, Cindy sighed. "Gosh. From what I can tell, Chris seems like a really nice Vaporeon… Why must the good die young?"

"It's a sad fact of life," Phoenix said. "He will be missed."

Cindy gulped, her throat choked up. "Let's not talk about death now. I just wanna focus on exploring. Is that okay?"

"Yes. My apologies, Cindy," Phoenix apologized.

"No problem. I just wanna explore. I don't want to hear about death and stuff. Especially not…" Cindy shook her head. "No! I said that I was going to focus on exploration! Not death! And that's what I intend to do!"

"That's the spirit!" Phoenix said happily.

The two shared a high five and set off to the Job Board to find a job for the day.

XxX

The rest of the day was relatively normal. Cindy and Phoenix explored with a Hoppip in Rose Road. It was a very easy job, yet they got a large sum of money for completing it.

That night passed without incident. No nightmares plagued the minds of Cindy or Phoenix, fortunately for them. Cindy did not want to have to go through the pain that the nightmare with Bagon had brought her.

It was the next day, however, that brought on nightmares.

Cindy and Phoenix woke up and did their daily cheer, pausing for a moment to feast on some apples. They were about to march out to the business district, but before they could, Katie, Grant, and Travis rushed into the house.

The members of Team Eeveelution looked very tired. They were panting breathlessly at the doorstep, and they looked like they hadn't gotten a minute of sleep the previous night. Small dark bags hung under Katie's purple eyes.

"Hello there, Team Eeveelution. What seems to be the trouble?" Phoenix asked.

"Chris," Katie said breathlessly. She didn't need to say anything more.

Cindy's heart nearly stopped. Panic seeped into her. She felt like she was back in her nightmare, suffering… dying…

"Is he dead?" Cindy gasped.

"Not yet, but the end is near. Nurse Blissey said so," Travis panted.

"We secured permission for you to come in. So you can stand by his side during… during the end…" Grant said.

"Do you wanna come?" Katie asked.

Cindy considered the offer. From what she could tell, Chris was inflicted with the same ailment that Bagon was. She didn't want a disfigured Vaporeon haunting her dreams as well. But still… It would be nice to stand by him as he died. They would be able to share his final moments together…

Cindy had made up her mind.

She nodded. "Sure. Phoenix, are you okay with that?"

Phoenix simply nodded. He didn't want to say anything about the subject.

"Very well, then. Let's get going," Katie said, her eyes shining with tears.

XxX

The two teams reached the Blissey Health Institute in a matter of minutes. Katie, Travis, and Grant entered the building just fine, however, when Cindy and Phoenix tried to enter, they were stopped by two fierce-looking Gabites.

"Stop! The Blissey Health Institute is currently off-limits to the general population. Only those with special permission from Nurse Blissey may enter," one of the Gabites said.

"But we have permission from the Nurse! Team Eeveelution secured it yesterday!" Cindy protested.

The two Gabites looked at each other for a few minutes before turning their attention back to Cindy and Phoenix. "What are your names?" the other Gabite asked gruffly.

"I'm Cindy, and this is Phoenix. Now will you please let us in?" Cindy said impatiently.

The Gabites examined Cindy and Phoenix closely before looking back at each other. They began to talk in hushed voices.

By now Cindy was really getting impatient. For all they knew, Chris might already be dead. They needed to get in. "Just let us in, for Arceus's sake!" she snapped angrily.

The Gabites turned back to the Cyndaquil and Piplup. They studied them for a second longer before slowly nodding. "Our apologies, Cindy and Phoenix. You may enter."

Cindy nodded and pushed the door open. "Thank you!" she said gratefully.

Before the Gabites could say anything more, Phoenix and Cindy were already lost in the Institute.

The lobby was a very nice looking place, with deep red carpet and wallpaper, cozy looking couches, and a few green plants placed around the room. A reception desk made of dark wood had been built in the corner of the lobby. A white door that smelled strongly of medicine was right next to the reception desk, which was run by an elderly Audino with large spectacles.

"Why, hello, sweethearts! How are you doing today?" Audino asked.

"We're good. We're here to see Chris the Vaporeon, can you direct us to his room?" Phoenix said hastily.

The Audino leaned forward and took off her glasses. "Hmm? Chris? I'm sorry, sweethearts, I can't let you see Chris unless you have special permission from Nurse Blissey. It's just too much of a risk, you see," she said sadly.

"We do. We're Cindy and Phoenix, and Nurse Blissey said that we could go see Chris," Cindy said.

Audino examined the duo for a moment, putting on and taking off her glasses. Finally she nodded slowly and reached below the desk. "Ah, yes. Now I remember. I'm quite sorry."

"It's okay," Cindy said.

Audino pulled out two white surgical masks from under her desk. "I will let you go into Chris's room, however, as an extra precaution, you should wear these masks. We don't want you two getting sick," she explained as Cindy and Phoenix examined the surgical masks. "Just pull the mask over your mouth and make sure that the elastic strap is firmly tied behind your head."

Cindy and Phoenix nodded and pulled the masks over their mouths. It was somewhat awkward for Cindy, as her nose was so long, but after a few minutes of fumbling around with the strap, she finally managed to get the mask over her mouth.

"Now, Chris's room is the second one on your left. Tell him I send my regards," Audino said.

"We will. Thanks," Phoenix said, his voice muffled by his mask.

Cindy simply nodded and pushed through the door, with Phoenix following close behind.

Beyond the door was a white hallway with white doors every few feet. Each door had a number that was engraved in a plate of steel. The strong reek of medicine wafted through the hall.

Cindy led the way to the second room on the left, which had the number "102" engraved on its gold plate. She burst into the room without even bothering to knock.

The small room looked like a witch doctor's medical room. Instead of modern medical tools like a heart rate monitor or a defibrillator, there were piles of berries and bubbling serums on the gray counters. A large white gurney sat in the middle of the room.

More interesting than the room was the occupants of it. Katie, Grant, Travis, and Nurse Blissey were all crowded around the gurney. All of the occupants of the room were wearing white medical masks.

"Um… hello?" Cindy asked.

Team Eeveelution and Nurse Blissey turned to the Cyndaquil. They all looked somewhat eerie with their sullen stares and white medical masks.

"Oh… you're here. Great," Katie said.

"Where's Chris?" Phoenix asked, pushing through the crowd.

"On the gurney," Travis said simply.

Phoenix pushed through the crowd until he got to the white gurney. He looked at it for one second, then he gasped.

"What? What happened?" Cindy whispered.

It was a long time before Phoenix answered. "Cindy… you… might not wanna come over here…" he said, sounding as if he was about to throw up.

Curiosity got the best of Cindy. She pushed aside Travis and Nurse Blissey and peered at the gurney…

What she saw made her sick to her stomach. Lying on the bed was a Vaporeon, though his features were nearly unrecognizable. His skin, which normally was an aqua blue, was a freakish mix of green and purple. His eyelids were swollen shut. His body smelled terrible. The only sign that he was alive was the unsteady rise and fall of his chest.

"Oh…" Cindy said, trying to hold the contents of her stomach in.

"Chris? Chris, can you hear me?" Phoenix said softly. He reached out a hand to shake him, but then he remembered: the disease was spread through direct contact. Even though his mask was securely tied over his beak, he didn't want to take any chances.

Chris's eyes opened a fraction of an inch. "P… Phoenix? Is that you?" he said before he was cut off by a fit of wheezing.

"Yes. It's me. We're all here. Katie, and Travis, and Grant…" Phoenix said, trying to hold in tears. "And there's someone new we want you to meet…"

Phoenix grabbed Cindy by the arm and dragged her over into Chris's view. "This is Cindy the Cyndaquil. Cindy, meet Chris."

"I'm sorry, but you look terrible," Cindy said bluntly.

"Why, thank you. Never in my life have I received such a flattering compliment," Chris said, giving a weak chuckle. The rest of the room laughed with him.

"Wait… Aren't you two the ones who rescued Grant?" Chris realized.

"Yep. We were the ones who helped him out," Phoenix said.

"Thanks, guys. I would give you a hug, but not only would that be really weird, and considering my condition, I don't even think I have enough strength for hugs," he said.

"Chris? Where did all your good humor go? Where's the good-natured humorous Vaporeon we once knew? Seriously, you're _way _funnier than this," Katie said, gripping his paw.

"Yeah! No offense, but your sarcasm is getting pretty weak now," Grant said.

"Well, I guess I'm all dry now, which is strange, considering I'm a Vaporeon… I'm never supposed to be dry…"

His sentence ended with a wheeze, and his paw dropped down. For one scary second, Cindy was scared that he had died, but Chris let out another cough and picked his head up off the pillow.

"Don't do that, bro. You had us scared for a second," Travis said seriously.

"Sorry, sorry. Gosh, if you're scared of me falling asleep, then I… I really have no words for you," he said.

Katie let out a small sob and gripped Chris's dangling paw. "Chris… Please… don't go… We want you to stay! We don't want it to end!"

"Surely there's a way to cure you… like, if we feed you an Oran Berry or something…" Phoenix said a bit desperately.

"I've already tried that, and it hasn't done anything to slow down the progression of the disease. If there is a cure, it hasn't been found," Nurse Blissey reported, her head hanging down. "I'm sorry for being such a lousy doctor. Maybe Dr. Z could've helped with this whole situation…"

"Oh, you think you're lousy? You're awesome compared to this one doctor I heard of. He doesn't work at a hospital, all he does is travel through time…" Chris said.

Katie burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. "Aw man! THAT'S the Chris we know and love!

"How can you be so calm at a time like this?! You're dying! If I were the one dying, I would be all panicky and stuff!" Grant cried.

"Thank you for noticing that I was dying. I had no idea that my life would be over soon," Chris said sarcastically.

Katie chuckled through her tears, which were now flowing unchecked. "Chris… You've always been the jokester of the group." She ruffled his sleek fur up.

"Yes! That's the Katie we all want to see," Chris said.

"What do you mean by that?" Phoenix asked.

"I don't want my last memories of you to be sad. Laugh! Be happy! Don't remember me because of my gruesome death. Remember me because of my jokes. My laughter. My eagerness to explore," Chris said.

There was a pause.

"I probably would make some other philosophical word of advice or something, but we don't really have time for that, do we?"

"Yes…" Katie turned and addressed the whole group of Pokémon. "All right! Team Eeveelution, Team Blaze, we've received a very important job request from Chris: be happy! Don't think of the negatives in life, think of the positives! Don't think of Chris as dying, think of him as the clown that he is!"

Grant walked up to Chris and thumped him on the chest. "You're the best pal I could ask for," he said. His mask curled up, indicating that he was smiling behind the shield.

"Yeah! You've been awesome!" Travis added.

"Aw man, now you're flattering me," Chris said.

"Thanks, for everything, dude. You're the best teammate ever," Katie said with a sniffle.

Phoenix nodded. "Yeah! You're one of the best the best teammates—sorry, friends—I've ever had!" He winked at Cindy.

"Heh heh heh… You're gonna become a great comedian, Phoenix," Chris chuckled.

"Thanks," Phoenix said bashfully. "Cindy? Would you like to say something to him?"

Cindy stepped forward, trying to ignore the terrible condition Chris was in. She forced herself to stare right into his swollen eyes.

"Even though I've hardly known you, I can tell that you're one cool Vaporeon," Cindy said.

She could almost see him blushing.

"Thanks, guys. You're all awesome. Go out there and explore some dungeons for me, okay? Bust some criminals while you're at it," Chris requested.

Katie let out a sob and buried her face in Chris's paws. "I… I don't want you to die…"

"Don't forget what I've said, Katie. Be happy. Don't be sad. Smile. And while you're at it, make some cupcakes," Chris said, weakly waving a paw at the Espeon.

"Okay…" Her mask curled up, indicating that she was smiling. In fact, all the masks in the room curled up as well. If you were to remove the masks obstructing the Pokémon's faces, you would've found bright smiles.

"Goodbye, guys. Don't forget to smile." As if to prove his point, he too plastered a grin on his face. As the life rapidly faded from his blotchy body, the smile still remained on it.

Chris's chest rose up one more time, taking in one last breath of air. He held it in for a long time. But then there was a rush, and his chest deflated. His eyes closed for the last time.

Chris the Vaporeon had been claimed by the disease.

Despite Chris's last request to stay happy, Katie dissolved into tears. She rested her head on the Vaporeon's chest and let her tears hit his blotched skin.

Grant and Travis weren't as quick to start crying, but after a minute, they too began to sob.

Cindy and Phoenix also began to cry. Even though Cindy had never personally known Chris, it still felt as if she had just lost an old friend.

"C-Chris… Why?" Katie wailed, her head still resting on his chest.

Nurse Blissey, who was the only Pokémon not crying, waddled up to Katie and put her hand on her shoulder. "Shh… It's okay, Katie… it's okay…" she whispered.

Cindy looked at Chris's lifeless body, which somehow didn't look as terrifying as Bagon's, though they were inflicted with the same disease. Maybe it was because Chris was a good Pokémon. Maybe it was because he simply looked better than Bagon.

Or maybe it was because of the pleasant smile that was still on his face.

He died with a smile still on his face.

Nothing could be sadder.

The fact that Chris had died with a smile was too much for Cindy. She let out a loud wail and descended into despair. Chris was dead. A friend had passed on. It was terrible.

"Hey… Cindy…" Phoenix tried to calm the sobbing Cyndaquil down.

"No! Don't tell me it's okay!" Cindy snapped. "It's not okay! Chris is dead! He died before I even got a chance to know him!"  
Phoenix silently nodded and walked over to Katie, who was still crying on Chris's chest. He whispered something into her ear.

"What's that?" Katie whispered.

Phoenix leaned in and supposedly repeated the phrase.

"Mmm… yes, that is a good idea… Let me talk with Travis and Grant and we'll see what we can do about it," Katie said.

"Thanks," Phoenix thanked her. He waddled back over to Cindy with a proud look on his face.

"What was that all about? Are you two keeping secrets from me?" Cindy demanded.

"Nope! No secrets are being kept!" Phoenix said, though he refused to say anything more on the matter.

Meanwhile, Katie was conversing with Travis and Grant, who were still crestfallen over the death of their teammate, their _friend_.

"Yes…" Grant said.

"That sounds great! Chris would want that," Travis said.

"What? What would he want?" Cindy asked.

Katie turned to Cindy and Phoenix and addressed the crowd. "Everyone! Phoenix here suggested a great idea on how to boost our spirits: we'll all go exploring together!"

Cindy could feel her adrenaline spike at this suggestion. She would be able to get away from this dreary room of death and go out into the world and explore with her friends. Nothing could've boosted her spirits more than that.

"That sounds awesome! Do you know where we're gonna go?" Cindy asked.

"Well, there's this town called Mead Village that we occasionally visit. It's a really peaceful place to be. The Pokémon there are nice and the scenery's pristine. The road to get there is really pretty too," Katie explained.

"There's even a Job Board there, so we can take jobs there too!" Travis said.

"All we have to do is go through Garden Grotto, cross Crystal Stream, take a quick hike up Moorland Hill, and we're there!" Katie said. "We'll stay there for a week or so and come back to Center City. Trust me, it's the perfect place to be when you're feeling down!"

"That sounds like a great plan!" Cindy said.

"Okay! We'll give you some time to prepare, then when you're ready, meet us by the west entrance to town. We'll discuss our game plan there. Will that work for you?" Katie asked.

"Sure!" Phoenix said gleefully. "We'll go get ready! Be back in a jiffy!"  
"Great!" Katie turned back to Chris's lifeless body. Tears sprung up in her eyes, but then she remembered his final request: smile.

Cindy could almost see Katie's bright smile through her mask.

"Goodbye, Chris. We'll never forget you," Katie whispered. She stared at his body in silence for a moment before turning back to her team. "Okay, guys. Let's get ready for our Mead Village expedition!"  
"Yeah!" Cindy and the others chorused.

Cindy took one last look at Chris and was also tempted to cry, but his final words rang out in her head: _"Don't forget to smile."_

_Don't worry, Chris. We'll never forget to smile, even in the bleakest times, _Cindy promised him.

"Let's get ready, Phoenix. There's exploring to be done!" Cindy said.

"Yeah!" Phoenix agreed.

And with that, she led the way out of the Blissey Health Institute, a sunny smile still gracing her face.

XxX

**Don't worry, I can guarentee that the next chapters will be more cheerful than this.**

**Before we leave, I would just like to wish you guys a merry Christmas. (or Hanukkah. Or Kwanzaa. Or whatever other holiday you celebrate at this time) I hope your Christmas is a merry one! ^_^**


	7. Mead Village Expedition Part 1

**I am going to split Team Blaze's adventure with Team Eeveelution up into three parts. This part is obviously part one, in which Team Blaze will be traversing through Garden Grotto. I hope you enjoy.**

Mead Village Expedition Part 1: Garden Grotto

"Oh my, you're already going on an expedition? With Team Eeveelution, no less?! Why, that's astounding!" the green Kecleon said.

"Yes! I would've never dreamed that you youngsters would be ready to embark on an expedition this early in your career!" the purple Kecleon added.

"Um… Thank you, I guess?" Phoenix said.

"I can tell that you two are gonna grow up to do great things. I just know it," the green Kecleon whispered conspiratorially.

Cindy giggled. "Thank you!" she said.

"No problem!" the green Kecleon handed Cindy the merchandise that she had purchased. "Here you go, my dear. All the necessary items for your expedition!"

"Thank you!" Cindy said as she placed the items into her Explorer Bag one by one.

The purple Kecleon's voice dropped. "Hey, just between you two and us… We slipped an extra item into your purchases."

"An extra item?" Phoenix echoed. "What do you mean by that?"

Just as Phoenix said that, Cindy noticed an item that they hadn't purchased. It was a yellowish seed that almost seemed to glow in the mid-afternoon sun.

"What's this?" Cindy asked.

"That's a Reviver Seed! If you were to faint in a dungeon, then the Reviver Seed would automatically… well, revive you. So you can just sit back up and keep trucking through the dungeon!" the green Kecleon explained.

"It's only good for one use, though. Once you use it, it turns into a Plain Seed, which is pretty much useless," the purple Kecleon warned.

"You can eat it, but it tastes like cardboard, and I don't think that you would want to eat cardboard," the green Kecleon said with a giggle.

"Sweet! Thanks for the Reviver Seed, guys!" Cindy said.

"No problem! Good luck on your expedition!" the Kecleons said simultaneously.

Cindy smiled and pocketed the Reviver Seed as she led Phoenix away from the Kecleon Shop. "Okay, we've got all the necessary items. Where do we go next? I still feel like we're missing something."

"Hmm…" Phoenix began to think. After a moment of thinking, he turned to Liepard Savings and Loan. "Let's go to the bank and store our money there!"

"But why would we want to do that? Maybe there are shops in Mead Village. What'll we be able to buy if we don't have any money?" Cindy asked.

"See, if you faint in a dungeon, you'll lose all your money. Then what'll we do?" Phoenix brought up.

"Good point… Okay! It's settled. Let's go to Liepard Savings and Loan!" Cindy said.

Cindy and Phoenix ambled up to the purple shop, which was run by a very fuzzy looking Liepard. Liepard began to purr when the two explorers approached her.

"Purrrrrr… Why, hello, you two. Welcome to Liepard Savings and Loan. What may I do for you today?" Liepard said slyly.

"We would like to make a deposit…" Cindy said uncomfortably. There was something about Liepard's sly stare that unsettled her.

"Very well. I shall open up a savings account for you two… What are your names again?" Liepard purred.

"I'm Cindy, and my partner's name is Phoenix. We're part of Team Blaze," Cindy introduced.

"Yes… Team Blaze…" Liepard turned around and examined the rows of steel vaults behind her. She scanned the vaults until she found an empty one. She grinned, showing off her pointed teeth. "Yes. This is going to be your vault. You can store all the money you would like in here."

Cindy took out all her Poké and placed it on the counter. Liepard grinned and picked up the coins, placing them in Team Blaze's vault. "Very well. I will guard these with my life," Liepard meowed.

She closed the vault and turned back to the waiting explorers. "Thank you for trusting Liepard Savings and Loan with your precious Poké. Visit me again if you wish to make a withdrawal."

"Um… Yeah. Thank you, I guess…" Cindy slowly scooted away from the malicious bank, Phoenix mirroring her action. "C'mon. Let's get going."

"Yeah," Phoenix agreed.

Wanting to get as far away from Liepard as they could, they wandered through the business district until the purple bank was nowhere in sight.

"Okay. Do you think we're ready to go?" Phoenix asked.

"Yep. We have all our items and we deposited all our Poké. I'd say we're ready," Cindy said.

"You're sure? I have the feeling that we're not gonna be coming back here for a while. You know this, right?" Phoenix warned.

"Yes, yes, I know! Let's get going! I wanna get exploring as soon as possible!" Cindy said, her heart racing with excitement.

"Okay, Cindy. If you say so…" Phoenix said uncertainly.

"Now, where's the west entrance? Team Eeveelution told us to meet them there once we're ready," Cindy said, glancing around.

Phoenix started to say something, however, he was interrupted by playful giggling.

"Tee hee! You two are so silly! You're standing right by the west entrance!" The familiar bright tones of Katie sounded from their left.

Cindy and Phoenix turned to their left, and sure enough, there was Team Eeveelution.

Katie, Grant, and Travis had obviously geared up at the Kecleon Shop. A blue bandana was tied around Grant's neck, while a red cape was draped over Travis's back. A bright green bow was tied around Katie's ear. Their Explorer Bag was bulging with items.

Phoenix raced up to the trio without hesitation while Cindy followed close behind. "Hey! Are you all ready for the expedition?"  
"Yep!" Katie said brightly.

"Say, what's up with all the gear you've got?" Cindy asked as she looked over the team.

"Grant's got a Defense Scarf, which boosts his defense, obviously. Travis has a Reunion Cape, which'll reunite him with his teammates if he ever gets separated. And I've got a Joy Ribbon, which'll make me stronger when I get hit by enemy attacks," Katie explained.

"That's cool," Cindy commented.

"Thank you. Anyway, let's get our plan all sorted out!" Katie said.

She stepped to the front of the small crowd and cleared her throat, demanding attention. "All right, everyone! Your attention, please!"

Katie scanned over the assembled Pokémon. "Today marks the beginning of our expedition to Mead Village!"

Grant and Travis whooped and clapped, while Cindy and Phoenix simply smiled and nodded.

"I hope you're just as excited as I am to go there. We haven't visited the folks over there in forever… Anyway, Mead Village is pretty far from where we are now, and so it may take a day or two to get there. But never fear! I have a plan on how to get there with no confusion!" Katie said. "Are you all paying attention?"

The two teams nodded. Katie nodded as well.

"Very well! Now, you may be thinking that we all just go as one big pack, right? Well, unfortunately, a team can only have four members exploring at one time, so we can't all travel together," Katie explained.

"That's a bummer," Phoenix muttered. "I was looking forward to travelling with you guys."

"Let me guess: I travel with Phoenix, and you travel with Travis and Grant," Cindy guessed.

"…Well, not exactly. This is supposed to be something to boost all out spirits, and I do think that it would be fun to explore with someone other than your own team members."

She paused and looked over the crowd, making sure that they were all listening.

"I was thinking that I could explore with Team Blaze—" Her strategy was interrupted by a loud whoop from Phoenix.

"Yes! Katie the Espeon is travelling with us! Yes!" he cried, pumping his wing into the air.

Katie glared at the excited Piplup. He instantly quieted down with a meek "Sorry…"  
The Espeon cleared her throat again. "Anyway, as I was saying, I will be travelling with Team Blaze for this journey. Travis, Grant, you two will be travelling as a duo."

Grant and Travis smiled. "Sweet," they said simultaneously.

"I hope that you two won't get too far off track," Katie said with a coy smile.

"Ex-CUSE us! Remember last time? You TOTALLY led us off—" Grant began.

"_Anyway_, here's the plan: Once I'm finished with our briefing, we'll depart for Garden Grotto, which is just a little ways away from here. Once we get through the dungeon, we'll go to our secret campsite and spend the night there," Katie continued.

"Ooh! Secret campsite? That sounds awesome!" Phoenix enthused, thrilled at the idea of a secret base.

"Yeah. We have three of them set up along the road to Mead Village, so in case we have to camp during the night, we'll be all set!" Travis said.

"You guys are really good at planning ahead," Cindy commented.

"Thank you," Grant said.

"Can I say one sentence without being interrupted?!" Katie said impatiently.  
The explorers nodded meekly.

"Thank you!" Katie said, sounding quite relieved. "Anyway, once we pack up all our stuff, we'll set out again. Hopefully we'll be able to make it to Mead Village and book a room at the inn before nightfall. If we don't make it in time, we'll camp out at the Crystal Stream base. Does that sound good?"

"What'll we do when we get to the village?" Phoenix asked.

"We'll get to that once we get to the village. Now, any more questions?" Katie asked.

The silence that followed answered her question.

"Very well, then! Let's move out! To Mead Village!" Katie turned toward the dirt pathway that was behind her. The pathway led to a small yet pretty looking forest.

Cindy and Phoenix grouped up with Katie while Travis and Grant stuck together. "Hooray!" they all cheered.

Cindy began to lead the team down the dirt pathway, but before they got too far, Grant and Travis streaked past them as blurs of orange and gray.

"I'm so gonna win!" Grant cried playfully.

"I don't think so!" Travis retorted.

There was a rustle of leaves from far ahead, and the two Pokémon disappeared into Garden Grotto.

Katie slapped her paw to her face. "Boys."

"Let's get going! Lead on, Cindy!" Phoenix said.

"Okay…" She began to walk down the dirt pathway with Phoenix and Katie following close behind her.

A few minutes later, they reached the entrance to Garden Grotto. Right away, Cindy could tell that the Grotto would be a very beautiful dungeon. Trees that blossomed with green leaves and vibrant fruit stood tall above them. Flowers of all different colors peeked through the bright foliage. Cindy could hear the pleasant gurgle of a stream in the distance.

"Okay, team. Let's go!" Cindy said.

Katie and Phoenix nodded. "Mead Village, here we come!" Katie said.

And without any further conversation, they plunged into the forest.

Despite the calming appearance on the outside, Garden Grotto was actually somewhat hard to navigate. The dirt road had disappeared; in fact, all contact to the outside world had disappeared. It was as if the forest had swallowed them up. Without any real pathways to follow, our heroes found themselves lost in only a few minutes.

And there were the Pokémon. The inhabitants of Garden Grotto were similar to those found in Rose Road: Budews and Shroomishes. However, now a few new Pokémon joined the mix. Caterpies, Bulbasaurs, and Butterfrees all tried to hamper Team Blaze's progress, however, one attack from Cindy would defeat them easily.

One time, the trio was faced with a Pinsir, a large brown stag beetle with wicked pinchers on its head. Out of instinct, Cindy attacked it with Ember, but it dodged the attack. Phoenix attacked it with Bubble, but it barely left a scratch. Katie attacked it with Confusion, but the Pinsir wasn't affected by that attack, either.

The Pinsir lashed out at Katie with its vicious pinchers, creating a large gash in Katie's stomach. She collapsed to the ground, screaming and bleeding.

"No! Katie!" Phoenix rushed over to the bleeding Espeon and tried to staunch the flow of blood from her stomach.

Cindy felt rage building up in her. Katie was her friend. No one was going to hurt her. If anyone did hurt her, then they'd have to pay the consequences.

Her rage was building, consuming her body like a hot flame. There was a smell of smoke, and with a jolt in her stomach, Cindy found that she was now surrounded by a bright ring of fire. Her back was blazing up in a brilliant burst of flame. The Pinsir in front of her was cowering in fear, trying to edge away from the flames, but it didn't get too far.

Cindy let loose a scream of rage and tackled the cowering Pinsir. The ring of fire surrounded it, engulfing it in an inferno. There was another scream; this one apparently from the Pinsir.

There was a burst of fire that temporarily blinded Cindy and her friends. Once the fire was gone, however, it was revealed that the Pinsir (and several trees around them) had been burned to ashes.

For a moment, Cindy, Phoenix, and an injured Katie stared at the scorched forest in awe. Then Cindy leapt into the air and let out a yelp.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" she cried.

"It looks like you've learned Flame Wheel!" Phoenix deduced.

"Did you see that? I totally _decimated_ the Pinsir! That's what it got for messing with us!" Cindy enthused.

"Great job…" Katie groaned.

Cindy turned her attention to the bleeding Espeon. "Oh? I'm assuming that you need an Oran Berry now?"

"Yeah… Man, those Bug types… I never knew that they could hurt you this bad," she groaned.

"Hey, don't worry, you've got me now! No Bug types will hurt you now!" Cindy assured her as she handed a blue berry to Katie.

Katie ate it in one bite and slowly stood up, her wound disappearing like magic. "Yum… Thanks, Cindy. I would've been a goner there if it weren't for you!"

"No problem!" Cindy said with a playful thump on Katie's back.

"Anyways, let's keep going. I hope we don't run into any more Pinsirs!" Katie said.

"Okay," Cindy said.

With one last look at the scorched trees, she led on.

They encountered no more Pinsirs in the forest, though Katie and Phoenix did run into some troubles with some Bug and Grass types, respectively. Cindy dispatched whatever was attacking them with a direct hit with Ember, or in some extreme cases, Flame Wheel.

Dusk was slowly falling on Garden Grotto when Katie suddenly spoke up.

"Hey guys, I think we're getting close to our secret base!" she reported.

"We are? Sweet! Now we can rest! I'm getting really tired," Phoenix said, yawning as if to prove his point.

The trio continued through the forest until night fell upon the world, shrouding everything in a blanket of darkness. This darkness would've been hard to maneuver through if it weren't for Cindy. She found that if she tried hard enough, she could set her back ablaze with bright flames. These flames provided enough light to see the surroundings, even in the black of the night.

Finally, after about one more hour of exploring the dungeon in silence, Katie cleared her throat, demanding attention.

"Our secret base is just up ahead!" she said.

Cindy peered ahead, her fiery back lighting the way. She didn't see anything of note except for a few trees.

She blinked and rubbed her eyes, peering ahead again. Upon closer inspection, she found that there was a flat rock covered in dead leaves lying on the ground. The rock appeared to be covering something… but what?

"Is that…?" Cindy asked as she approached the flat rock.

"Yep! That's the entrance to our secret base. We just need to move the stone out of the way and you'll find it," Katie instructed.

Cindy nodded and tried to lift the rock off the ground, however, it proved too heavy for her. She was exhausted within minutes.

"Ugh… A little help here?" Cindy asked. Katie started to laugh.

"Silly Cindy! We don't have the physical strength to move the rock out of the way! No offense," she added quickly.

"None taken, but how do you remove this rock?" Cindy asked.

"Watch." Cindy stepped back as Katie stepped forward to the stone. She concentrated on the rock as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

Katie grinned. "Here goes nothing!"

The red gemstone on Katie's head gleamed for a fraction of a second. The rock was encased with a shimmering pink light.

"Wah! What's happening?!" Phoenix cried.

Katie didn't respond. Instead, she slowly looked up towards the heavens, the gemstone on her head still gleaming. Then, quite suddenly, _the rock began to levitate off the ground._

"That's awesome! How do you do that?" Cindy asked.

"I'm using my psychic powers to move the rock out of the way!" Katie informed.

"I wish I had psychic powers!" Phoenix groaned.

"No you don't. Trust me, this is way harder than it looks…" Katie groaned. She appeared to be faltering under the pressure of her psychic abilities.

She moved the rock aside in the air as if it were as simple as brushing aside some trash.

"There we go…" Katie groaned. "You might wanna plug your ears now…"

"Why?" Cindy asked.

But Katie never got around to answering that.

The pink glow around the rock vanished. Katie collapsed to the ground, exhausted. She wasn't the only thing that collapsed. The rock crashed to the ground with a loud _FWUMP! _on the forest floor. It was a miracle that the rock wasn't shattered.

Katie looked at the awed faces of Cindy and Phoenix and broke down into gales of laughter. "Hee hee hee! You two look like you've been hit by lightning!"

"I'm sorry, it's just… You… That was awesome. That's what I'm trying to say," Phoenix said, struggling to find the right words.

"Why, thank you!" Katie turned toward the spot where the rock once was. Upon closer inspection, Cindy discovered that the rock had indeed been covering something: a dirt staircase leading to an underground chamber. "Well, what are you waiting for? You can go in, you know."

"Okay, then! Secret base, here we come!" Phoenix said.

Cindy once again ignited the flames on her back and led the way down the dark staircase.

Once Cindy and Phoenix reached the bottom of the stairs, they were greeted by Grant and Travis, who were huddled around a fire.

"Hey, you two!" Grant greeted.

"Welcome to our secret base!" Travis said. "C'mon in! Make yourselves comfortable!"

Cindy examined the underground chamber. It was built in a similar fashion to Phoenix's house, except it had no windows. The roof was held up by wooden planks. Four straw beds were neatly made near the back of the dirt room. A few barrels and a large treasure chest sat next to the beds. Three clay pots full of water sat on a flat rock that functioned as a table.

"This is a really cool place! How'd you make it?" Phoenix said as he examined the barrels in the corner.

"It's a long story. Maybe I'll tell it later," Travis said.

"Anyway, make yourselves comfortable! Warm up by the fire!" Katie said warmly.

"We will. Thanks!" Cindy said. She positioned herself right next to the fire and welcomed the warmth. Even though she was a Fire type, the night had chilled her to the bone.

"So," Katie prompted, "how was your exploration?"

"It was pretty good, except for that time that we ran into that Pinsir—you wouldn't believe the size of it! Poor Grant… He decided to fight it, and he's got the scars to prove it!" Travis said.

"Ugh… Don't even remind me…" Grant moaned, the pain of his injuries still fresh.

"Our exploration went good, too. We also ran into a Pinsir… man, it was terrible. But Cindy learned a new move: Flame Wheel! That'll help on future explorations," Katie summed up.

"Congratulations, Cindy!" Travis said, giving her a high five. Cindy smiled and murmured "Thank you" without meeting his eyes.

"Hmm… What should we do now?" Phoenix asked. "Go to sleep? I'm pretty tired from today."

"Yeah. Same here," Cindy yawned.

"Before you go to sleep, can I tell you a story?" Katie asked.

"Is it the one about Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza?" Grant asked.

Before Cindy could ask who Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza were, Katie shook her head. "Nope. This one is about Latios and Latias," she said.

"Who are they?" Phoenix asked.

"Well, sit tight, and I'll tell you about the Eon Duo: Latios and Latias."

XxX

**I have already made up my own original (and somewhat stupid) backstory for Latios and Latias, which will be included in the next chapter.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review!**


	8. Mead Village Expedition Part 2

**A wild Exposition Paragraph appeared!  
**

Mead Village Expedition Part 2: Crystal Stream

"Rumor has it that Latios and Latias were once humans, a long time ago. They were brother and sister, and they loved each other very much," Katie began.

Cindy squirmed guiltily when the Espeon mentioned Latios and Latias being humans. So far, no one knew that she was once a human herself except Phoenix.

"Latios and Latias were very adventurous. They loved exploring in the forest near their home. But one day, they got lost in the forest. They didn't know how to get out, however, they stuck together like two peas in a pod. They never let each other wander out of their sight for long. Now, their parents were scared. They didn't want their sweet children to die in the forest. So they called the local police to search for them. They searched the forest for three days before confirming their worst fears: Latios and Latias had perished. Their bodies were found in a deep part of the forest that was shrouded by mist. Latios and Latias were locked hand-in-hand. They were together until the end."

Cindy was tempted to cry. The story of Latios and Latias touched her heart so much that she wanted to start sobbing into Phoenix's shoulder. But she felt that she should stay strong, at least until Katie finished her story.

"Their parents were crestfallen. It pained them to see their once vibrant bodies lifeless shells. But they didn't give up hope. Every night, they prayed for Latios and Latias. They prayed that their children would one day be reborn. However, they got a little bit more than they hoped for. These prayers were heard by a Pokémon called Jirachi, who lived in a distant land. Jirachi can grant any wish, no matter how astronomical it may seem.

Now, Jirachi has a soft heart, and when he heard Latios and Latias's parents, he just couldn't help himself. Their wish was granted, and Latios and Latias were reborn as who they are today. Ever since their rebirth, they have always stuck together. You will never see Latios without Latias. They always stick together, just as they did when they were humans," Katie finished.

A long silence followed the story of Latios's and Latias's origin. It was a sweet story, Cindy thought, in fact, it was so sweet that she had nearly been moved to tears. It was a miracle that she had kept them in.

"…Wow…" was all Phoenix could say.

"Do you know anything else about Latios and Latias?" Cindy asked.

"Latios and Latias are supposedly able to refract light, which can make them turn invisible. They can also glide through the air at incredibly high speeds, and they can even take on the shapes of other Pokémon and humans," Katie said.

"That's cool," Phoenix said, imagining what it would be like to be able to turn invisible.

"Yeah," Katie agreed.

Cindy yawned and walked over to the nearest straw bed. "I'm tired. I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to sleep."

"Oh, I'm sure all of us could use some sleep. Time to turn in, team. We've done very well today. We should get to Mead Village by tomorrow if we're quick, okay?" Katie said.

"Okay," Travis said sleepily. He too flopped down on the nearest straw bed.

Phoenix sent a jet of bubbles at the fire, which was extinguished immediately. The room went dark except for a few glowing coals, the remainder of the fire.

Cindy could just see the blue outline of Phoenix waddling over to the straw bed next to her. "Good night, Cindy. See you tomorrow," he yawned.

"Yes. Good night, team. Let's get some rest for tomorrow!" Katie said tiredly.

There was two more soft _fwumps, _probably Katie and Grant crashing on their beds. The noises were followed by some loud snoring. It was quite amazing that someone could fall asleep in that small amount of time.

Cindy closed her eyes, thankful for the relief of darkness. Even though she was an explorer, she needed to rest too.

_Good night, guys. Thanks for helping to cheer me up after Chris… _Cindy couldn't think about the day any more. She just silenced her buzzing brain and fell asleep.

XxX

"Up and at 'em! It's morning!" Katie's cheerful voice rang out.

Cindy groaned and opened her eyes, refreshed from her long rest. Her neck was somewhat cramped, but she wouldn't let that interfere with the expedition.

Next to her, Phoenix slowly awoke from his slumber as well. He rubbed his eyes, stretched his wings, and gave a warm smile to Cindy. "Good morning, Cindy! How'd you sleep?"

"Fine. How about you?" Cindy asked.

"I slept fine, too," he reported.

Cindy grinned. "That's good."

Meanwhile, Katie was still trying to wake up Grant, who was still snoring away on his bed. "C'mon, sleepyhead! Wake up! There's exploring to do!"

Katie eventually had to resort to slapping the sleeping Umbreon to wake him up. She raised her furry pink paw up off the ground and gave him a smack right across the face. Needless to say, he woke up immediately.

"What? What are you saying? Go where?" Grant grunted. His head snapped up from his bed and he glanced around the room, momentarily confused. Once he saw that he was in the secret base, he calmed down.

"Ah, yes. Sorry," he murmured, his face turning red either from embarrassment or from Katie's attack.

"Okay! Now that we're all up, let's have our morning briefing," Katie said.

"Aren't we gonna go through Crystal Stream today?" Travis asked.

"Yes. Then, if we have time, we'll hike up Moorland Hill. Moorland Hill is a relatively short dungeon, and we should have no problem getting past it before nightfall. We just need to walk a little more, and we'll be at Mead Village!" Katie said.

"Where will we stay once we get to Mead Village?" Phoenix asked.

"We'll stay at Aroma Inn. It's this really cool inn that smells like flowers, hence the name. It's not nearly as fancy as Hotel Reconnoiter, the high-end hotel for really famous exploration teams like Team Aura," Katie said.

"Team Aura? Who are they?" Cindy asked.

Grant's jaw dropped and his red eyes widened in surprise. "You… You don't know about the famous Team Aura?! Who do you think you are, anyway?! An exploration team that doesn't know of Team Aura?!" he screamed.

"Grant! Quiet down! That's not polite, you know!" Katie said indignantly.

Grant turned red and hung his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, guys."

"No problem, bro," Phoenix said.

"Still, who is Team Aura?" Cindy asked.

"They're a team from a distant land consisting of a Riolu and a Chikorita. A few years back, they saved the world from destruction… twice! You can _definitely_ see why they're famous," Travis explained. "They occasionally visit here, but they usually only stay for a few days. Then they go back to their land."

"There are rumors that the leader of the team, Emile, is a human that has turned into a Pokémon. Personally, I don't believe in these rumors. I mean, who's ever heard of a human turning into a Pokémon?" Katie said with an indifferent shrug.

Cindy gasped. For any casual Pokémon, this statement would be just that—a mere statement. However, for Cindy, Katie's words took on a whole other meaning. There were other humans that have turned into Pokémon in this world. And she was one of them.

_If we ever do meet Team Aura, I'll be sure to ask Emile about it, _Cindy thought. _Maybe he'll have some light to shed on the subject._

"But we're getting off topic here. I'm hoping to get to Mead Village today, and I don't wanna dawdle around and talk about famous exploration teams! Let's get going!" Katie said.

"Yeah!" everyone chorused.

With a bright smile, Katie led the way out of the base, everyone else following close behind.

The five explorers reached the top of the stairs and found themselves enveloped in the bright sunlight from above. The outskirts of Garden Grotto looked almost magical now; every plant, every blade of grass was now coated with dew that sparkled in the sun. Ahead was a dirt road that led to another forested area that was presumably Crystal Stream.

Katie did her amazing "move a rock with her psychic powers" trick again, and the entrance to the hideout was covered by the flat rock.

"We don't want anyone poking around in our hideout now, do we?" Katie asked.

"Nope!" Cindy agreed.

"Hey, are we gonna be in the same teams as before? Like, are you gonna go with Team Blaze?" Grant asked Katie.

"Yes. It would only be fair to them; these parts are unfamiliar to them, and so it would only be fair for me to be a guide to them," Katie explained.

Grant frowned. "But I want you to be with us…" he moaned.

Katie ruffled the hair on his head. "Don't worry, Grant. Once we get through Crystal Stream and up Moorland Hill, we'll be together again."

"Good point," Grant conceded.

Katie turned back to Cindy and Phoenix, who were eagerly awaiting to explore. "Are you guys ready to move out?" she asked.

"I think so," Cindy said. "Are you ready, Phoenix?"

"Yep! I wanna see Mead Village as soon as possible!" Phoenix said with an enthusiastic smile.

"Great! Let's get going, guys. Lead on, Cindy!" Katie said.

Cindy nodded and grinned, walking ahead of her two teammates. "Let's go!"

Phoenix and Katie returned the nod and began to follow Cindy down the dirt path. Once again, Travis and Grant sprinted ahead, apparently in the middle of another race. Cindy, Phoenix and Katie sighed at the boy's antics and continued onward with their leisurely pace.

As Cindy got closer to the forested area, a distant crashing sound entered her ears. It sounded like a waterfall, which led her to believe that Crystal Stream had a waterfall somewhere in it.

The sound got closer as the trio progressed down the path. Soon they were at the edge of the forest, and the roar was louder than ever.

"Are you ready to explore?" Katie asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Phoenix said bracingly.

"Okay, then. Here we go!"

And Cindy plunged into the forest, her two companions following close behind her.

Crystal Stream wasn't as forested as Garden Grotto was. Sure, it had some trees, some shrubbery and the like, but not nearly as many as in Garden Grotto. There was definitely more water here, though. Several small streams snaked through the trees.

There weren't as many Pokémon in Crystal Stream either. There were a few Caterpies, Weedles, and the occasional Bellsprout, but none of these Pokémon proved to be much of a challenge.

After about half an hour of exploring the forest, Cindy, Phoenix and Katie came across a small, shallow pond of water. Several lily pads floated on the crystalline surface of the pool.

They decided to take a break at the pond. Exploring the dungeon had been surprisingly exhausting, especially for Cindy, who had to deal with occasional Water type.

"Ahh, finally! A place to relax!" Phoenix said, plopping down next to the pond.

"No kidding. You wouldn't believe how tiring it's been for me. Those Caterpies… They're the stuff of nightmares to a Psychic type like me." Katie shuddered.

Phoenix examined a lily pad. "Man, I'm thirsty. I think I'm gonna get some water…"

Before anyone could react, Phoenix dove into the pond, splashing water all over Cindy and Katie.

Katie shook her head, shaking the tiny droplets of water off her fur. "What's Phoenix gotten himself into now?"

Cindy smiled at Phoenix's antics. "I think he went to go get some water."

"But does he really need to make a splash like that?" Katie asked.

But before Cindy could answer, a muffled scream emitted from the water, and Phoenix catapulted out of the pond as if he'd been shocked. He looked somewhat beaten up now.

"What happened?! Are you okay?!" Cindy cried as she steadied the panicking Piplup.

"There's a horde… A horde of Lombre…" Phoenix breathed.

"Lombre?" Cindy asked.

Phoenix nodded and pointed at the water. At first, it appeared that nothing had happened. The lily pads were still there, bobbing up and down in the ripples of the water. But then Cindy noticed that the lily pads… had eyes.

"Wah! What are those?!" Cindy cried as she slowly backed away from the pond.

"Lombre." Phoenix was now thoroughly panicked. "I don't think they like being disturbed…"

The Lombres pulled themselves out of the water, revealing their monkeyish teal and green bodies. Their large white eyes leered at the explorers menacingly.

"Now would be a good time to run." Katie leapt away and was soon lost in the greens.

"Yeah," Phoenix agreed. He too leapt away into the forest.

Cindy spat a burst of flame at the Lombres to keep them distracted. Then she darted blindly into the forest.

She crashed through the dungeon, alone and terrified, not daring to look behind her. The angry cries from behind told her that the Lombres were still on her trail, but she still didn't look back. She occasionally fired off her Ember attack in an attempt to keep the mob at bay, but they seemed barely fazed by the attack.

Cindy was all alone, no sign of Katie or Phoenix. She was beginning to worry; what if she lost them? What if all she could do was wander alone through the forest, being chased by the angry Lombres, until she died?

Those thoughts were plaguing her mind when the first BubbleBeam was launched. Cindy let out a yelp and leapt out of the way, the attack soaking a nearby tree. She picked up her pace even though her legs were screaming in protest.

A barrage of BubbleBeam attacks were fired upon the quickly-tiring Cyndaquil. She managed to avoid most of the attacks, though a few stray bubbles did graze her body at times. Even though they were only bubbles, they sent a searing pain through her.

Cindy made a sharp left and dashed behind a tree, hoping to confuse her pursuers. It was a useless attempt, however; the Lombres quickly changed direction and continued pursuing her.

By now, Cindy was exhausted. She could barely walk, much less run from the surprisingly fast Lombres. Her breath was jumpy, her body was stinging, her heart was racing… She almost wished that it would end right then and there so that she could be out of her pain for good.

She continued to crash through the trees, avoiding the barrages of BubbleBeams, but eventually, she came across a wide stream that was being fed by a rumbling waterfall.

Now she was faced with two choices: jump across the stream, hopefully being able to escape the Lombres. Or she could stand and fight.

The second thought was quickly ruled out as a monkeyish cry rang through the forest. The Lombres were close by, and they would quickly outnumber Cindy. That left only one choice: try to jump across the river.

Cindy took a deep breath. If she made it out of this alive, she would never separate from Phoenix again.

She turned to the rushing rapids as the first Lombre appeared from the trees. It screeched angrily and picked up speed.

The rest of the Lombres followed, their clawed hands curled into fists. One of them spat out a BubbleBeam bullet at the Cyndaquil. She tried to dodge it, but her reactions weren't fast enough.

The BubbleBeam caught Cindy in the chest, knocking the wind out of her. It felt as if she had just been punched by a pro boxer.

She teetered back, waving her arms as she desperately tried to keep her balance, but the force of the attack was too strong. She was going in the water.

Cindy let out a loud cry as gravity took over, pulling her toward the rushing rapids. She slammed into the water and began to sink like a stone, her eyes, ears, and mind being flooded by water.

In that one second, her fate became clear to her.

She was going to drown.

Cindy couldn't move. She couldn't struggle to the surface and get a gasp of air. She couldn't cry for help; every time she opened her mouth, water would flood in. She couldn't do anything except wait for her impending doom.

_This can't be… the end… _Cindy thought, her mind befuddled by the water. _What'll Phoenix think when he finds my drowned body? He'll be heartbroken…_

Cindy's vision began to go black. Her lungs screamed for air, yet she couldn't get to the surface and breathe. It was almost as if she was being held in the water by some unseen force.

Just before her vision went black, however, she could've sworn she saw a burst of fire and a rush of shadow, fractured and distorted by the water above her.

Her eyes began to close, and she let loose her last bit of air. A few tiny bubbles trickled up to the surface of the water, a final bit of beauty for her nearly blacked out vision.

Then everything went black.

XxX

"…alive?"

"I don't know…"

"She wasn't breathing…"

"But I could've sworn…"

Fractured voices gently lifted Cindy from her slumber. She was too weak to do anything, indeed, even staying awake was a challenge in itself.

She was chilled to the bone, and her sleek fur felt damp to her. Her chest throbbed in pain. It felt like she had been hit by a truck and then washed out to sea.

Her brain was foggy; it was hard to connect two thoughts together, but as her strength slowly returned, she could remember a few things: she had gotten separated from Phoenix and Katie… she had been chased by vicious Lombres… she had been knocked into a river… she had nearly drowned…

_Wait… Where am I? Who was that talking? Am I even still alive? _Cindy asked herself.

"Cindy… Cindy, c'mon… please… Speak to me…"

A familiar downy arm gently shook her weak body. The last of her drowsiness was shaken away. She felt strength returning to her, and with a groan, she attempted to sit up.

Cindy opened her eyes just a crack and peered around the room that she was resting in. It was very similar to Team Eeveelution's secret base in Garden Grotto: a few straw beds, a treasure chest in the corner, a blazing fire in the middle.

"Oh good! You're awake! We were getting worried!" the concerned voice said.

Cindy opened her eyes all the way and glanced around at the inhabitants of the tiny room. Katie, Travis, Grant, and Phoenix were surrounding her, their faces fraught with worry. It was a relief to see all her friends still in one piece.

"Are you feeling okay, Cindy?" Travis asked.

"We could rest here if you're not ready to head out if you'd like," Grant offered.

"Where… where are we? Are we back in Garden Grotto? Did we make it to Mead Village? And what happened while I was out?" Cindy asked, looking around frantically at the underground room.

Travis and Grant nodded and launched into an explanation.

"We heard some weird noises from the depths of the forest, and we decided to check it out. We found the horde of Lombres, but we didn't know that they were after you," Travis said.

"We attacked them and managed to drive them back into the forest. And that's when we saw you lying in the river, nearly drowned," Grant continued.

"We lugged you out of the river and carried you to our Crystal Stream hideout. That's where we are now," Travis concluded.

Phoenix marched up to Cindy and placed his downy feathers on her shoulders. "Don't _EVER _do that again, Cindy! You scared me to death!" He shook her with a crazed smile on his face.

Cindy began to inexplicably laugh, causing her to have to cough out some water that was still in her lungs. "Oh, Phoenix. Don't worry, I won't do it again, but keep in mind that you were the one who separated from me in the first place!" she giggled.

"Good point…" Phoenix murmured, scratching his head and looking down.

"Anyway, are you good to go? We could rest here for a little while longer, if you'd like," Katie said. "We can always wait."

Cindy stood up and coughed out one last bit of water. "I'm fine. I wanna see Mead Village before nightfall! I don't wanna mope around here, acting so damp. We need to keep going!"

Phoenix beamed. "That's the fighter's spirit, Cindy!"

Cindy shook her sleek fur, dislodging any last water droplets. She vowed to herself that she would never go swimming unsupervised again. "Let's go. We've already wasted enough time as it is, and I don't wanna lose any more time."

"Great idea, Cindy." Katie led the explorers to the dirt staircase, the gem on her forehead sparkling. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's move out!"

XxX

**I hope you liked my "legend" about Latios and Latias. I personally think that I could do a lot better, but you're the judges. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review!**


	9. Mead Village Expedition Part 3

**Can you believe 2013's almost over? I sure can't! (Heck, for some of you, 2013 ****_is_**** over!)**

**Anyway, I hope you have a happy and safe new year. Best wishes!**

**Just as a New Year's Eve treat, I'm releasing a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it!**

Mead Village Expedition Part 3: Moorland Hill

The exploration teams emerged from their hideout, discovering that quite a bit of time had passed since being chased by the Lombres. Now the sky was a rosy red color. The clouds almost looked purple in the setting sun.

Ahead was a series of gently rolling hills. Beyond the hills was a black haze; Cindy guessed that it was Mead Village.

She glanced up at the twilight sky and grimaced. At the rate things were going, it would be nightfall in little under an hour. "Ooh, are you sure that we have enough time?" she asked.

"I'm positive! Moorland Hill is a really short dungeon. Just hike up a few hills, beat up a couple of baddies along the way, and you're there!" Katie said brightly.

"Okay, if you insist…" Cindy said.

"If it gets too dark, you could light up her back and provide a nice little torch for us!" Phoenix pointed out.

"Good point," Cindy said, briefly lighting up her back just to prove that she could do it.

"Okay. Travis, Grant, you're still a team. I'll travel with Team Blaze until we get to Mead Village, then we'll discuss our plans there. Deal?" Katie asked.

"Deal," Grant agreed. Before he could say another word, he dashed to the hills.

"Hey! Wait for me, Grant!" Travis cried. He ran after him, his bushy tail streaming behind him.

"They're still racing." Katie shook her head, sighing. "Those boys are always so competitive. Anyway, let's get going! Lead on, Cindy!"

Cindy nodded and dashed toward the hills. Phoenix and Katie followed close behind.

Moorland Hill was a very easy looking dungeon. It was a series of gently rolling hills dotted with flowers. Green grass gently rippled in the twilight wind. A few shadowy figures were seen on some of the farther hills; Cindy guessed that they were wild Pokémon.

Once they got to the peak of the first hill, which was the smallest by far, Katie suddenly collapsed to the ground and began to roll down the hill, a gleeful smile gracing her face.

"Katie! What are you doing?" Phoenix cried.

"I'm rolling down the hill! Duh!" Katie said happily. She reached the bottom of the hill and stood up, grinning like a maniac. "C'mon, guys! Try it! It's fun!"

Cindy didn't need to think twice about rolling down the hill. She had tackled criminals, found lost items, and explored uncharted territories. Rolling down a hill should be a snap.

"Let's get going, Phoenix!" Cindy cried, lying down on the ground. The grass made her skin somewhat irritated, though as she began to roll down the hill, it became less so.

Phoenix followed the rolling Cyndaquil without hesitation. He too collapsed to the ground and began to roll, laughing and smiling with Cindy. It was probably one of their happiest moments together, and as they reached the bottom of the hill, Cindy and Phoenix alike wished that it didn't end.

Cindy got up, brushing a few blades of grass off her body. She was covered in green grass stains, but she couldn't be concerned about that now; she was having too much fun.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" she cried, pumping her fist into the air. "That's probably the most fun I've ever had while on an exploration! I can't wait to do it again!"

"Well, you're in luck! We're gonna have to hike up nine more hills before we can get to Mead Village, and I plan to roll down every one of them! Does that sound like a plan?" Katie asked, the same thrill of excitement flushing her face.

"Yes!" Cindy said without hesitation.

"Well, let's get going! There are hills to roll down!" Katie raced up the second hill, pausing only to defeat a Roselia on the way up.

Cindy and Phoenix didn't think twice about following her up.

As they hiked up the second hill, Cindy could easily forget that she was in a dungeon. She was just having too much fun, rolling down hills with her friends. There was a lack of Pokémon as well; only a few Roselias and Ivysaurs challenged them on their way up.

Soon they were eat the peak of the second hill, which was slightly taller than the first. It took a little longer to hike up, and Cindy did feel weariness settling in on her, but her fatigue was quickly forgotten as she rolled down the second hill, Phoenix following closely behind her.

And so it continued. Cindy, Phoenix, and Katie hiked up hills, occasionally stopping to defeat Pokémon, before rolling down them once more. It was always exciting for Cindy, she loved having a good time, despite all her problems. In fact…

She could hardly bring herself to think about her problems while she was rushing down the hill. It was too exciting! She couldn't think about the mysterious virus, which had been on her mind ever since they defeated the Big Bad Bagon. She couldn't think about her transformation; she felt like she was a human back in the human world, rolling down hills in a bright sunny meadow. She couldn't think about any of those things.

Finally, they reached the crest of the final hill, which was the tallest of them all. It took quite a bit of time to hike all the way up it, and there were many more Pokémon than before, but they were rewarded at the end with an exceptionally long roll down the hill.

By the time the explorers reached the bottom of the tenth hill, they were covered in grass stains and overflowing with giddy laughs. Night had fallen, and the sky was a deep blue with little specks of stars. A crescent moon hung over them like a glowing banana in the heavens.

Several yards in front of them was a haze of black and yellow that was presumably Mead Village. A dirt pathway lined with pansies led the way to the village.

Cindy sat up and wiped away a smear of green from her head. "That was awesome!" she said in between giggles.

"I know, right? Every time we come to visit Mead Village, we do that. It's kind of like a reward for making it through Garden Grotto and Crystal Stream," Katie said.

"Speaking of Mead Village, are we there yet?" Phoenix asked. "All that rolling has gotten me really tired. I just wanna fall asleep right here and right now!" As if to emphasize his point, he yawned and rubbed his legs.

"Don't worry. There aren't any more dungeons to go through. It's just one long pathway from here," Katie assured the tired duo.

"Whew! About time!" Cindy breathed, relieved that their long journey was almost over.

"Let's get going. Aroma Inn should be closing real soon, and I don't wanna get locked out," Katie said, slowly walking up ahead of them.

Cindy and Phoenix nodded in agreement and began to follow her down the dirt pathway.

It was almost painful to put one leg in front of the other for Cindy. She was tired out from nearly drowning and from rolling down the hills; while rolling had been fun, it was also tiring.

In order to keep her mind off her fatigue, Cindy had taken to silently pushing herself onward. _Come on, Cindy. Mead Village is just up ahead! _she chided herself. _I just need to last this last little bit… You can do it…_

Her strategy worked very well, in fact, it seemed to her like she was gaining more strength from the silent encouragements. Phoenix, on the other hand, wasn't doing nearly as well as she was.

"Are we… there yet?" he moaned in between deep breaths.

"We're almost there, Phoenix. Just a little while longer…" Katie said.

"Ugh… Can we hurry up?" Phoenix complained.

"Seriously, dude. We're almost there! Just say to yourself, 'I will make it to Mead Village', and you'll find the strength to get there! It's working for me!" Cindy said, somewhat annoyed by Phoenix's complaining.

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry if I'm not as tough as you guys, I'm just—ack!"

Phoenix's sentence was abruptly cut off. It didn't take Cindy long to realize why.

Three shadowy figures had appeared behind them. It was too dark to make out their exact features, but she could tell that they were very tall, taller than all of them.

One of the shadows had clamped a hand over Phoenix's beak. Another had bitten Katie's tail, preventing her from moving. She cried out in pain and thrashed about, trying to dislodge the attacker, but to no avail.

Panic filled Cindy up. A gang of mysterious shadows had taken her two friends hostage, and there was next to nothing she could do about it. Judging by their size, it would be nearly impossible to overpower them, even with her Flame Wheel attack.

Cindy was tempted to run away, but the third figure, which was the tallest of them all, moved in front of her, blocking the path. A wicked blue eye gleamed.

"Are you an exploration team?" The Pokémon in front of her was clearly a girl, though a very mutinous girl by the sound of it.

"Yeah, and we're a real good one, too. Stand back or you'll get a Flame Wheel to the face," Cindy said bravely.

"Ooh! We've got ourselves a fighter here!" Another voice came from Phoenix's captor. This voice was a heavy male's voice. "Do you think we should let her stand up to us? I think it'd be funny to see how far she gets against us."

The Pokémon in front of Cindy shook her head. "Nah, it's too much of a risk. We should just mug 'em and leave before the law enforcement gets here," she said.

"Wait… Are you… criminals?!" Cindy cried.

"What do you think? Of course we're criminals!" Phoenix's captor said.

"Now, give us your money now, or else things will get nasty for you," the Pokémon in front of her said, her blue eye gleaming viciously.

Katie, who had been writhing in pain while the third Pokémon bit her tail, managed to find the strength to speak. "Oh… Forgot to mention… Lots of criminals roam this path… Sorry…"

"That's a shame. And now look where you are: at the mercy of us! Now, give us your money or we'll have to attack," the female Pokémon said.

Cindy's instinct kicked in. She felt her body heating up, and she prepared to use Flame Wheel. "How about NO?!" she cried.

The three criminals only had time to let out a shriek of surprise before Cindy released her Flame Wheel. The flames scattered, hitting all three of the malicious Pokémon. Phoenix and Katie's captors stumbled back, releasing her two friends. Phoenix wasted no time; he spat out a BubbleBeam attack to protect Katie and himself from the searing flames.

Once the flames cleared, the criminals were lying on the ground, coughing. Their shadowy bodies looked even blacker now, as if they'd been overcooked by the attack. Katie and Phoenix were fine, save for a few stray burns. Katie's forked tail was gushing blood, but that was nothing that an Oran Berry couldn't fix.

Cindy approached the badly burned Pokémon in front of her and forced her to look up. "So! Are you gonna leave and never bug us again? Or are you gonna stick around for another beating?"

The Pokémon in front of her groaned and got up, brushing away some ashes from her singed fur. "Ugh… You know what? I think that's enough for tonight. I don't wanna get burned to death by Miss Super Weak Cyndaquil here," she said sarcastically.

"Yeah. But don't think that we're gonna forget about this, twerps. We'll be back someday. Don't forget that!" the third Pokémon said.

They gave Team Blaze one last look of hatred and stalked off down the path to Moorland Hill.

Katie sighed in relief. "Whew! Am I glad that's over! Arceus, my tail's still hurting!"

Cindy examined Katie's tail and was disgusted at what she saw. It was bit clear down to the bone. Blood oozed from the wound, staining her pink tail a deep red. Her pelt was ruffled and messy, and lines of pain furrowed her features.

"Are you okay? Do you need an Oran Berry?" Cindy asked.

"Um… Not to sound greedy, but yeah, I kind of do," Katie said, grimacing as she tried to move her tail.

"No problem!" Cindy reached into her bag and fished out a firm, blue berry. An Oran Berry. The _last_ Oran Berry they had in reserve, in fact. The Reviver Seed was still there; there had been no need to use it yet, and Cindy decided to use that only in an emergency.

"Here you are! One Oran Berry!" Cindy presented the Oran Berry to the bleeding Espeon, who scarfed it down with no hesitation.

The wound almost seemed to close up a little. Blood still flowed from her tail, but it wasn't as much blood as before. Phoenix spat out a few bubbles at the wound, hoping to wash away the blood. Katie smiled, and with a brave grimace, she managed to slowly wag her tail.

"Ahh, that's better. It's a really deep wound, and I may need to get it checked out at Dr. Chansey's place tomorrow, but it's definitely better. Thanks, guys," Katie said.

"Dr. Chansey?" Cindy echoed.

"She's the doctor in Mead Village. She does her work well, though not as well as Nurse Blissey," Katie explained.

"Oh." Cindy looked forward to Mead Village, which was much closer now. She grinned. "Let's keep going! We're almost to the village! We can do it!" she encouraged.

Katie and Phoenix nodded bravely. "Yeah! Let's go!" Phoenix said with a smile.

And the trio dashed off toward Mead Village, their legs aching, their minds weary, but their hearts excited.

XxX

**I know that the rolling down hills part was really cheesy, but it's the best I've got. How sad.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review, and happy new year! :)**


	10. Mystery on Sunrise Beach

**Happy New Year!**

**I am super stoked to see what the new year will bring for us! Heck, I even have a new year's resolution! It's... um... well... I'll get back to you on that.**

**Anyway, I've decided to give you a longer chapter as a new year's treat. I hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 10: Mystery on Sunrise Beach

The trio reached Mead Village a few minutes after their encounter with the crooks on the path. It was too late at night to get a full tour of the village, though Cindy could tell that it wasn't nearly as big as Center City. The buildings were smaller by far, in fact, the tallest building was only three stories high. This building was presumably Aroma Inn.

A few Pokémon milled about the sleeping city. They were all cloaked in the shadows of the night, making their exact features nearly unnoticeable, but the shapes and sizes of the Pokémon were different from what Cindy had seen. Amid all the unfamiliar faces, however, were two welcome Pokémon.

Travis and Grant were waiting for Katie and the others in front of the inn. Their faces brightened when they saw Cindy and Phoenix, but their happy looks were extinguished once they saw Katie's mangled tail.

"Oh my Arceus! What happened?!" Travis cried.

"Nothing much. We ran into a gang of criminals, but we got away from them, luckily. Some dog-looking thing bit my tail. It should be fine," Katie said calmly.

"B-but that's terrible! You look like a zombie attacked you!" Grant cried.

Katie smiled. "Yeah, it was a little painful. Cindy gave me an Oran Berry, which helped ease the pain a little, but we should get it checked out at Dr. Chansey's tomorrow. But let's not worry about that now. Let's worry about getting a room at the inn," she said.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. While we were waiting, we booked two rooms: one for us, and one for Team Blaze. It was really nice to see Miss Kirlia once again," Grant said.

"Thanks, boys. You don't know how tired we are. Moorland Hill was surprisingly tiring," Katie said.

"Did you roll down the hills?" Grant asked excitedly.

"Does this answer your question?" Phoenix showed Grant his arm, which was covered in grass stains. Grant grinned and nodded.

"Isn't that just so much fun?" he cried.

"Yeah, but boy, is it exhausting! That's why we're so relieved to finally be here," Cindy said.

"Anyway, let's stop wasting time. Once we're all settled in our rooms, we can explain our adventures to each other. Deal?" Katie asked.

"Deal," Travis agreed.

With an exhausted smile, Katie led the way into Aroma Inn.

Aroma Inn, like the name suggested, smelled very sweet, like a garden of flowers. The lobby was a picturesque landscape. A few small trees grew in the corners of the room. The ground was soft grass with colorful flowers growing on it. At the far end of the lobby was a small waterfall trickling into a shallow pool of water, which brought back bad memories of nearly drowning. It was as if they had taken a slice of Garden Grotto and stuck it in a building.

Cindy felt truly at peace in the lobby. She felt as if it were the one place in the word where nothing bad could happen. There wasn't the slightest chance of criminals attacking them there, there was no chance of hostile Pokémon. It was paradise.

Behind the reception desk, which was a large stump, sat a Kirlia. Kirlia was the closest thing that she could find to a human. Her main body was a bright white that almost hurt to look at. She appeared to have a white dress covering her slender green legs. Her "hair", which was tied up in two "ponytails", was also green.

"Hello there, Katie! How's the exploration going?" the Kirlia asked.

"It's going well, thank you," Katie said. "Hey—we'd like you to meet our friends. Miss Kirlia, meet Cindy and Phoenix. They're part of Team Blaze!"

Cindy and Phoenix stepped shyly up to Miss Kirlia and extended out a hand to shake. "Hello, Miss Kirlia," Phoenix murmured.

"Hello, dears! Nice to meet you! I hope you find your stay enjoyable!" Miss Kirlia said brightly.

"I'm sure we will!" Cindy said.

Phoenix yawned and rubbed his eyes. "I'm tired. Can we just get to our rooms and go to sleep?" he said sleepily.

Cindy nudged Phoenix in the ribs and hissed "That's not very nice!" in his ear.

"Oh, it's okay. Forgive and forget: that's my policy. Enjoy your stay, you two! I'll be here to help with anything you may need help with!" Miss Kirlia said with a bright smile.

Katie nodded in thanks and led the explorers to the stairs, which were tucked away in the corner. The wood steps seemed oddly out of place in a paradise like this.

Once Cindy and Phoenix hiked up the stairs, they found a long hallway made of wood planks with doors leading to inn rooms. It was much less like paradise and more like a normal inn, however, the sweet scent of flowers still remained.

The Espeon led the way to two rooms that stood side-by-side. Notes were tacked up on the doors—one said "Reserved for Team Eeveelution", while the other said "Reserved for Team Blaze".

Katie, Grant, and Travis crowded around their room, while Cindy and Phoenix walked to their room. "So, I guess this is the end of our expedition…"

"No it's not! We've only just begun the expedition! You can access a bunch of dungeons from here that you can't access from Center City—Snowstorm Summit, Emerald Canyon, Sunrise Beach, and more!" Travis said with a grin.

"But, of course, we can't very well go exploring in the dead of the night, can we?" Grant said.

"Good point. We'll rest here until tomorrow, then we'll get exploring! Does that sound good to you guys?" Phoenix asked.

"Sure!" Katie said.

"Good! Well, good night, you three. Thanks for exploring with us!" Phoenix said, opening the wood door to Team Blaze's room.

"No problem! Good night to you, too!" Katie smiled and opened the door to Team Eeveelution's room. She gave Cindy and Phoenix one final smile before turning her bloody tail and entering the room. Travis and Grant followed her.

Cindy and Phoenix entered their room and found it to be a strange mix between the lobby and a traditional inn room. A few fake trees and plants were clustered around the room. There was only one real tree: a potted apple tree with ripe red apples blossomed in what appeared to be the kitchen. The floor was made of wood planks that was covered with obviously fake grass. Two large beds were shoved up against the wall.

These beds resembled real beds to Cindy; instead of piles of straw, they were mattresses made of cotton with white blankets draped over them. A fluffy white pillow was at the end of the bed.

Cindy charged at one of the cotton beds and promptly collapsed on it, breathing a sigh of relief as she did so. Her new bed was so comfortable—much better than the somewhat itchy straw that she had for a bed at home. She pulled the covers up over her body and got cozy, preparing for the night ahead.

Phoenix flopped down on the bed next to her and pulled up the covers as well. He looked quite cozy as well. He untied his Special Band and put it on his bedside table, which was a large plastic stump. Cindy took off her Explorer Bag and untied her Yellow Bow and did the same.

"Good night, Cindy," Phoenix said, letting out a yawn.

"Good night, Phoenix," Cindy said sleepily.

She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to come. Her body was so exhausted that it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

XxX

"Chip-ree! Chip-ree!"

The peaceful twittering of bird calls gently lifted Cindy from her slumber. She felt so warm, so comfortable in her soft bed, she just wanted to stay in it all day. But she knew in her heart that wasn't an option. Exploration teams don't just lounge around all day while countless Pokémon suffer.

She groaned and sat up, the thick blanket falling off her. She sleepily grabbed her Explorer Bag and slung it over her shoulder. She grabbed her Yellow Bow and tied it around her neck, pinning her ivory Explorer Badge on the ribbon. Then she went to wake up Phoenix.

"Wakey wakey, sleepyhead! It's time for another great day of explorations!" Cindy chided. She gently shook the sleeping Piplup, who wouldn't respond to any of her attempts to wake him.

She eventually had to resort to slapping him to wake him up. He shot up from his bed with a bloodcurdling scream and raced halfway across the room. That wasn't normal.

"Phoenix! Phoenix, what happened?! Are you okay?!" Cindy cried, trying to calm down the hyper Piplup.

"Nightmare…" Phoenix panted. He didn't need to say anything else.

"Oh… Don't worry, though. It was only a dream! Only a morbid nightmare. It's not real! It was only just a dream!" Cindy said, giving Phoenix an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

"It's just… That voice… ugh… It was terrible…" Phoenix said.

He sniffled and wiped a tiny tear from his face. Anything that could make Phoenix cry had to be terrifying.

"What? There was a voice in your nightmare?" Cindy asked slowly.

Phoenix shuddered and squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't even wanna think about it…" he said, his voice on the verge of hysteria.

Cindy nodded in understanding. "I see." She went over to his bedside table and grabbed Phoenix's blue Special Band, helping him tie it on. "We can't focus on that now. Let's just focus on our exploration, okay?"

"Okay." Phoenix dried the last of his tears and puffed his chest up, looking more confident now. "Let's get going, Cindy! There's exploring to be done!"

Cindy grinned. "That's the spirit!"

And with that, she led Phoenix out of their inn room.

They walked down the stairs, giving a smile to Miss Kirlia on the way. She returned the smile and wished the two explorers good luck on the day ahead. Once they left Aroma Inn, they ran into Team Eeveelution, who was exiting a pink building similar to the Blissey Health Institute in Center City. Katie's tail was heavily bandaged, though crimson liquid still seeped through the wrappings.

"Hey, guys!" Phoenix said, approaching the three Pokémon.

"How's your tail, Katie?" Cindy asked.

"…Hmm… It's hard to say. We had to stitch it back on; the flesh was nearly sliding off the bone. Then we bandaged it, but it's still really bloody. Dr. Chansey warned that it might leave a permanent scar," Katie said sadly. Cindy's stomach churned at the description of her tail.

"Hey, look on the bright side: you can still explore! So what if you're tail's been bitten? Just persevere through the pain!" Cindy motivated despite her uneasy stomach.

Katie put on a brave sort of smile and puffed her chest up. "You're right. I can still explore with my friends, and that's what really matters. Thanks, Cindy. You really know how to cheer a Pokémon up," she said.

"No problem!" Cindy said brightly. "So anyway, what's the plan?"

"We didn't really have a plan for today. I mean, not as a group," Grant said.

"What do you mean?" Phoenix asked.

"Well, from here, we can go off on our own schedules. You guys could explore, say, Sunrise Beach, and we could explore Moorland Hill again. You're free to do what you want," Katie explained.

"Oh! I get it now," Phoenix said.

"We're all gonna get back in our groups when we go back to Center City, though, but we don't have to worry about that for a while. We'll be sure to let you guys know when we're thinking about going back, okay?" Katie said.

"Okay, then. I guess we'll be on our way. See you!" Phoenix said.

"Bye, Team Blaze!" Travis said.

Soon Team Eeveelution was lost behind a building.

Now that the sun was out, Cindy could see Mead Village clearly. It looked very rural; the tallest buildings were Aroma Inn and Hotel Reconnoiter. A few shops lined the dirt pathways that snaked through the city. A few houses were scattered about; it was clear that there was no residential district in the small burg.

Many Pokémon bustled about, doing business at shops, talking to others and the like. It was sill crowded there, though the town was not nearly as populous as Center City.

"This would be a pretty cool place to live," Cindy said as she felt the soft grass below her feet.

"Yeah. It's even got all the exploration team essentials: a Kecleon Shop, Purrloin Savings and Loan… Whoa! They even have a Kangaskhan Rock here!" As he spoke, he pointed out all the shops along the dirt path: a Kecleon Shop with only one green Kecleon behind the counter, and Purrloin Savings and Loan, a smaller purple bank with a smaller purple cat, a Purrloin.

There was also something else there; a large gray rock in the familiar shape of a Kangaskhan. It seemed to have a latch on its stomach, like a mailbox.

"What… is that?" Cindy asked.

"It's called a Kangaskhan Rock! It's kind of like an extension to the Kangaskhan Storage in Center City. You can deposit and withdraw items using it. It's really cool and a little spooky; if we were to open it, then we'd be able to withdraw items back in Center City. Weird, huh?" Phoenix explained.

"Yeah," Cindy replied.

"It's really useful for exploring, though. You could deposit items on the go without having to trek back to Kangaskhan's place," Phoenix said.

"That is pretty cool. I'll remember it," Cindy said with a nod.

"Anyway, let's go find a job. Katie said that there was a Job Board here… Let's go find it!" Phoenix said, pushing his way past a young Togepi. Cindy followed close behind him.

The duo walked through Mead Village, taking in the sights, buying a few things from the Kecleon Shop, and occasionally talking to the locals to get directions. Soon they had found the Job Board, which was exactly the same as the board in Center City, if not a little smaller.

They perused the board, looking for a job that caught their eye. Cindy noticed that there were a lot of unfamiliar dungeons on the board, Sunrise Beach, Emerald Canyon, and Snowstorm Summit among them. Cindy tried to look for a job that only specified those locations.

Finally, Cindy found a job that caught her attention: escort a Zigzagoon through Sunrise Beach. Simple enough.

"Hey, let's get this job," she suggested, tearing the note off the board and handing it to Phoenix.

Phoenix examined it for a moment before nodding and handing the note back to Cindy. "Uh huh. Sunrise Beach, eh? We haven't been there before. It sounds like a pretty cool place." He tightened the Special Band around his neck. "Sounds great! Let's get going! Now, where is that Zigzagoon…"

Turns out they didn't have to look for long. The Zigzagoon was camped out next to Purrloin Savings and Loan. He was ecstatic to see that someone had finally taken his request.

"Finally! Someone has taken my request! I was sure that the tiny sum of money that I was offering wasn't enough, but turns out it was! And now I can finally go to Sunrise Beach! Thanks, guys! Thank you so much!" he blabbed.

"No problem. Now, can we just get going? We don't have all day," Phoenix said. He was nudged in the ribs by Cindy, who scowled at him fiercely.

"Oh, sure! I'm sorry. Lead on, Cyndaquil!" Zigzagoon said.

"I have a name, you know," Cindy grumbled. Even though she was normally quite nice, she was starting to get annoyed by Zigzagoon. Talkative people ticked her off—it was just her nature. Despite her annoyance with the Pokémon, she led onward to Sunrise Beach.

There were three main paths leading out of Mead Village. All of them had signs next to them to tell the travelers where they led. Cindy simply looked for the sign that said "Sunrise Beach ahead", and once she found it, she led her team down it.

At first, the path to the beach was just like any other path: a dirt road with grass and flowers growing on the side of it. But after a few minutes of walking, the path dramatically changed. The road below their feet was made of rocks and seashells, while the grass on the side of the road was gone, replaced by soft, grainy sand, the flowers replaced by seashells and palm trees.

The path below them was somewhat sharp due to the shells, which led to blistering feet in a matter of minutes. It was pretty painful, but Cindy had endured worse. Zigzagoon was complaining about his feet being tired after only about fifteen minutes of walking, and Cindy was tempted to blast him with her Flame Wheel attack. Maybe that would shut him up for a while. She restrained herself from doing so, but only barely.

After about half an hour of walking and listening to Zigzagoon's complaints, a low whooshing sound filled the trio's ears. As they continued down the seashell-strewn path, the whooshing got louder and louder.

_Hmm… I wonder what that noise is… _Cindy thought, though she was fairly certain that she already knew. _It must be the ocean._

A few minutes later, her theory was confirmed when she saw a vast ocean peeking over the crest of a sand dune.

"We're almost there, guys!" Cindy encouraged her traveling companions.

"Ugh… Good… I'm exhausted…" Zigzagoon said.

Phoenix simply nodded, preferring not to say anything.

The trio hiked over the sand dune and was greeted with a magnificent sight of the ocean, shimmering in the sun. Small waves gently lapped the shell-strewn shore. A few Pokémon milled about, looking for someone to fight. A few caves made from barnacle-covered rocks were on both sides of the shore.

"This place is pretty cool!" Phoenix said, scanning over the ocean below him.

"I know, right? I always wanted to come here, but I heard of all the mean Pokémon here and I couldn't do it myself… So that's why I put a note on the Job Board, and now we're here, and—"

"Shut up!" Cindy and Phoenix yelled simultaneously.

Zigzagoon shrunk down, letting out a terrified squeak. "Okay… Sorry…"

Cindy stiffened. "Yes. Let's get going. C'mon, Zigzagoon," she said smugly.

Zigzagoon and Phoenix nodded again and followed Cindy down the dune.

The dune was large enough to roll down, though Cindy didn't do it. She didn't want to have to spend an hour shaking sand out of her fur. Walking down the dune definitely took longer than rolling down, and by the time they reached the bottom, they were all exhausted.

"Urk… Are we there yet?" Zigzagoon moaned, massaging his legs.

"Shut up!" Cindy said.

She took one look at Zigzagoon's terrified expression and slapped herself on the forehead. _Stupid! I'm so stupid! _she thought. _I need to think before I speak._

"Oh… I'm sorry…" she said, giving his fur a ruffle. "It's just that… I don't like it when people—er, Pokémon, complain about small things like this…"

"Oh, I understand. I'm sorry for annoying you," Zigzagoon said, looking down at the grainy sand below him.

"Ahem!" Phoenix cleared his throat. "Can we get going now?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for holding us up," Zigzagoon apologized.

"It's fine. Let's go!" Cindy smiled, her thirst for adventure returning. This was like her dream come true—she was exploring uncharted territory with one of her best friends. What was not to like?  
Happy thoughts filled her head as she continued down the shoreline, Phoenix and Zigzagoon following close behind.

Sunrise Beach was full of Water and Rock types, with the occasional Ground type. Cindy struggled against the Corsolas, Seels, and Barboaches there. Every time one of these Pokémon attacked, a searing pain would shoot through her body, leaving her bruised and bloodied. Phoenix would help as much as he could, but he was rather ineffective at fighting his fellow Water types.

Zigzagoon was absolutely useless. Whenever he was faced with, say, a Corsola, he would scream and cower behind the nearest object—a rock, a sand dune, or even Phoenix. He wouldn't even attempt to fight back.

Phoenix loved the beach. Whenever he wasn't exploring with Cindy and Zigzagoon, he was playing in the shallow water. He'd dive in, do some intricate underwater trick, and burst out of the sea, his body glistening in the sun. Zigzagoon also joined in on the fun, but Cindy strayed from the water at all costs. After her last experience with being submerged in water, she didn't have much taste for swimming.

Soon, they found themselves in front of a barnacle-covered cave. The dank smell of seawater and underground wafted from the cave, and Cindy could've sworn she heard inhuman groans from within the wet walls. Maybe it was just the warm ocean air, though.

"So what do you think? Should we go in there? We might find some treasure in there," Phoenix said.

"Yeah!" Cindy said. She was all for exploring a mysterious cave, even if she was pretty beaten up already.

Zigzagoon, on the other hand, was terrified of the cave. He paled, his eyes widening in fear. "No no no no no no no no no NO!" he cried, shuddering.

"If you're that scared, you can go back to Mead Village," Phoenix offered.

Zigzagoon was fifty yards away as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Thanks, guys! I'll be waiting with your reward if you return!" he called back.

"Er… Watch out for wild Pokémon!" Cindy called.

He turned into a tiny brown speck as he raced up a sand dune. He reached the crest of the hill, and with a terrified yelp (a Corsola was on his tail) he scampered away.

"Okay… That was weird…" Phoenix said, staring at the sand dune Zigzagoon had disappeared behind.

"Whatever! Let's get going. I wanna see what's inside this cave!" Cindy said, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Okay. Let's go!" Phoenix agreed.

With a nod, Cindy led the way into the briny cave.

It was a relatively small cave, no branching pathways or anything. A few Zubats hung on the ceiling of the cave, but when Cindy and Phoenix approached them, they let out terrified squeaks and fluttered away.

It was also rather dark, but once Cindy's eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see a few things: some rocks, a pool of salty smelling water, a group of barnacles. Basic cave stuff.

There was a glint on a rock that caught Cindy's eye. She approached the glint, her curiosity piqued. Thoughts like _What's that? _swam in her mind. It could be anything, really. A necklace, a gemstone, or something even more valuable.

"Hey, Phoenix, see that shiny thing on that rock over there?" Cindy asked.

Phoenix leaned forward, squinting. After a moment, he nodded. "Yeah."

"What do you think it is?" she asked.

"There's only one way to find out," Phoenix said.

Cindy splashed through a puddle of water and approached the glint, Phoenix following close behind her. As she got closer to the rock, however, she found that it wasn't a gem or a necklace, but instead a cracked glass bottle stopped by a cork. A stack of papers was messily crammed in the bottle.

"What's that you've got?" Phoenix whispered.

"It's a… bottle. With a bunch of papers in it," Cindy said.

Phoenix's eyes lit up. "Ooh! Maybe it's a treasure map! Maybe we can find some real treasures if we follow the instructions on it!" he said excitedly.

"We'll see in a minute. It's too dark to read it in here, let's go back outside," Cindy said.

"Good idea!" Phoenix began to hop back through the cave, splashing in puddles and jumping over rocks. Cindy followed him, examining the bottle in her hands.

Once she had emerged into the bright daylight, she unplugged the bottle and squeezed the papers out of it. It took some time, but she managed to fit the soggy papers out of the bottle.

"And now, the moment of truth… What's in the bottle?!" Phoenix said, raising his wings up dramatically.

Cindy grabbed the first page, which was quite soggy from its time in the damp cave. In fact, the handwritten words on the note had long since been smeared out of being legible. Most of the pages were either too soggy or too messy to read, much to Phoenix's disappointment.

"Ugh. So lame! All we get is a bunch of soggy papers for all our trouble? Great. Just great," Phoenix complained, pacing back and forth with his head in his wings.

Cindy flipped through the soggy pages, trying to find a page that was actually readable. At the very bottom of the stack, however, was a readable paper. The handwriting was sloppy, as if the writer was in a hurry to do something.

"Hey, Phoenix, I found something, I think," Cindy said, beckoning for the Piplup to rejoin her.

Phoenix ambled over to Cindy and snatched the paper out of her hands, eagerly scanning through it. As he did, however, his initial excitement was replaced by… disbelief. Horror.

"C… Cindy…? Can you… come read this…?" he stuttered.

Cindy walked over to Phoenix, wondering what was so wrong. She skimmed through the paper and found what looked to be a journal entry. The events described in it were particularly terrifying.

_Day 38, and I still haven't emerged.  
I can't risk infecting any of those  
innocent Pokémon. In fact, I don't think  
I even have the strength left in me to  
come out of here. The disease is simply  
too strong for me._

_My—no, our, last hope resides with  
them. They are the only ones who  
even have the slightest chance to save  
this world from this terrible plague.  
When the time comes, I will help them.  
I will bring them to this world, even if  
I must use my own life force to do so.  
I simply cannot let it destroy us all._

_…__Oh? What's this? He's saying  
something… He's gonna do it tonight?!  
Oh my… That gives me little time to  
prepare…_

_But I must do it. I will stop him.  
I'll throw a wrench in his plans.  
I can't fail at a time like  
this. The world depends on us._

Phoenix and Cindy were silent, rereading the soggy entry again and again. They couldn't make sense of it—who was "them"? Who was this anonymous writer? What did the writer want to do with "them"?

"Oof… Kind of unsettling…" Cindy said.

"Yeah, no kidding. My head's hurting just thinking about it!" Phoenix said. "What a waste. All we have is some confusing letter to mull over. Great."

"You never know, Phoenix. It could end up to be the key to some sort of mystery treasure or something," Cindy said, patting him on the back.

"Yeah… So should we keep it?" Phoenix asked.

"Sure! I'm sure we'll find out the mystery of this note in due time. Until then, let's keep it around," Cindy said.

"Okay." Phoenix handed Cindy the note, who put it back in her Explorer Bag. "So… Should we get going?" he asked after a brief pause.

"Sure. We don't wanna leave that Zigzagoon waiting," Cindy said.

XxX

"Thanks for taking me on an exploration!" Zigzagoon thanked Cindy and Phoenix.

They were back in Mead Village, talking to a very beat up Zigzagoon. By now, twilight was beginning to fall over Mead Village. The Pokémon that roamed the dirt pathways finished their purchases and headed back to their homes. Shops closed down. The sky was a rosy pink with purple streaks lining the heavens.

"No problem," Cindy said indifferently.

"As thanks, I'd like you to have my life's savings—300 Poké!" He handed them a large bag jingling with coins. Inwardly, Cindy thought that his life's savings was really pathetic, but she didn't complain as she stashed the money in her bag.

"Thanks, Zigzagoon," Phoenix said.

"No, thank you! It's always been my life's dream to go visit Sunrise Beach, and now that you two have finally made that a reality…" Zigzagoon began to go off on a spiel about his life's dreams and stuff. Cindy didn't listen to the lecture, instead, she pulled an unresisting Phoenix back to Aroma Inn.

Cindy paced their inn room, compulsively reading over the soggy note from Sunrise Beach. It had gotten a little drier now, and the words could be read a little more clearly now, but other than that, the note was the same: the same stuff about the disease and about "them", and, of course, the whole thing about "bringing them into this world"…

Cindy hated failure. She hated when she couldn't figure something out. So of course, not being able to figure out the cryptic message really stressed her out. She reread it again and again, each time growing more and more stressed until she couldn't take it anymore.

Cindy slammed the note down in frustration. Phoenix was right; it was starting to make her head hurt. She stomped to her bed, pulled up the covers, and shut her eyes tight.

"Good night, Phoenix," Cindy murmured from underneath the covers.

"Um… Cindy, are you okay?" Phoenix said, alerted by Cindy's outburst.

"Good night," she repeated, a little more firm this time.

Needless to say, it was a long night for the poor Cyndaquil.

XxX

**Ooh! Mystery! Finally, the story's really picking up!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review, and happy new year to all.**


	11. Shaded

**Hey, guys! Sorry for not updating. I ran into some technical difficulties that resulted in me having to rewrite the entire chapter. Microsoft Word can act really stupid sometimes.**

**Ah, well, I digress.**

**Anyway, better late than never. Here's your chapter. I hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 11: Shaded

_ "__Where… where am I?"_

_Cindy found herself floating, drifting freely in an endless field of swirling, rainbow mist. Her partner, was nowhere to be found, as a matter of fact, Cindy could see nothing other than the mist and her body._

_She felt oddly on edge while she drifted through the mist, as if a ghost was going to jump out at her. However, if anything was going to jump out at her, then it didn't show itself._

_Cindy blinked, and when her eyes opened again, she found a strange, shapeless green blob in front of her. It was very blurry and flickering, like a bad projection._

_ "__H-hello? Are you a Pokémon? Can you tell me where I am?" Cindy said, feeling somewhat stupid talking to a shapeless green blob._

_**"…**__**Brandt? Cindy… Brandt…? Is it really… you…?" **__The soft, feminine voice spoke in Cindy's head. The blob in front of her seemed to take on a curious look._

_ "__Um… yes… I'm Cindy Brandt… And you are?" Cindy thought._

_**"**__**Whew! Thank Arceus… I finally found you…" **__the blob said, avoiding the question entirely._

_ "__Who are you? What are you?" Cindy repeated._

**_ "_****_There's… no time… I barely have… enough energy… to stay here…" _**_the voice said. __**"I just came here… to warn you… You are in grave danger."**_

_ "__Danger? What do you mean?" Cindy asked._

**_ "_****_Are you aware… of the… virus that's going around?"_**

_Cindy felt her stomach drop. Yes, she was well aware of some sort of virus. Bagon had it, Chris had it… so many innocent Pokémon may have it…_

_ "__Y-yes…" Cindy said. "What, do you have more information on it?"_

**_ "_****_I fear… that I may… not have much information on it…" _**_the voice said._

_ "__Just give it to me! Any bit helps," Cindy said._

_She could feel her heart racing in anticipation and her stomach slowly twisting in her body. She was excited yet scared at the moment. She didn't want this relatively peaceful dream to turn into a nightmare like last time._

_She didn't have to worry about it, however, because at that moment, the green blob fizzled and flickered, temporarily disappearing into the mist. The mist began to move erratically, instead of the peaceful swirling motions, it began to look more like multicolored static._

_**"**__**N-no… I don't have any energy… I… can't… last…" **__the voice said. It began to vanish again, blending in with the static-like mist behind it._

_ "__No! Wait! What about the virus? Come back…!" Cindy cried, however, her cried were heard by no one… She could feel herself fading…_

_**"**__**Fare… well… Watch out… for… the virus…" **__the voice said._

_The mist suddenly stopped swirling and began to fracture like breaking glass. There was a loud burst of noise… Cindy's vision went black… she could feel herself falling… falling…_

_ "__W-waaaaah…!" she cried weakly._

_There was another loud burst of "static"…_

_And Cindy woke up in her bed, sweating and screaming._

XxX

Cindy took a moment to steady herself. It was just a dream, just a strange dream… nothing big… Now she was safe at Aroma Inn, tucked in her cozy bed…

Still, something had unsettled her about the dream she had. It wasn't nearly as bad as her nightmare about Bagon, but still, it had put her on edge. Who was the mysterious speaker? What was causing her to lose energy so quickly? What did she know about the disgusting virus that was plaguing the world?  
Cindy looked at the window behind her bed. Dawn was slowly fading in on the quaint village below her. It was too early to start their day of exploring, but she felt that she couldn't fall asleep again.

So Cindy spent the next hour or so compulsively reading over the note they had retrieved from Sunrise Beach. She couldn't help but think that her dream and the note were connected somehow… but how?

Soon the bright sun had appeared over the horizon, bathing her in golden light. She knew that the long day of explorations would begin soon, so she grabbed her Explorer Bag and tied her Yellow Bow around her neck one more time. Then she went to wake up Phoenix, who was sleeping soundly in the bed next to her.

"Hey, Phoenix! Wakey wakey! It's time for another day of exploring!" Cindy chided cheerfully.

She gently shook Phoenix's sleeping form, shaking him from his slumber. Cindy took a few steps back, half expecting him to go into a fit about another nightmare, but luckily for her, he didn't. He did, however, look oddly disoriented. He shook his head, clearing his focus, and groggily said "Good morning…" to Cindy.

"Good morning, Phoenix. How'd you sleep?" Cindy asked.

"Fine… I'm tired, can I go back to sleep?" Phoenix said wearily.

Cindy walked over to the nearby apple tree and plucked a ripe apple, thrusting it into his wings. "Here. Have this. It'll help get you back on track."

Phoenix stuffed the apple into his mouth, suddenly ravenous. He noisily snacked on the fruit, making a mess of himself, and soon the apple was history.

Phoenix slid off his bed, looking wide awake. He tied his Special Band around his neck and gave Cindy a confident grin, telling her that he was ready for the day ahead.

"Good morning, Cindy! Let's get going!" Phoenix said energetically.

"That's the spirit."

Phoenix led the way to the door, brightly skipping along through the fake grass.

Cindy started to follow him, but then she remembered: _I should tell Phoenix about my dream. Something tells me that he might have something to say about it…_

"Er… Cindy?" Phoenix said, tapping his foot impatiently. "What's up? Everything okay?"

Cindy slowly nodded. "Yeah, I guess…" she lied.

Phoenix regained his energetic smile. "Well, c'mon, slowpoke! Let's get to exploring!"

"Yeah!" Cindy agreed, though she was somewhat lacking in the vigor that she usually had.

Phoenix led the way out of Aroma Inn, Cindy following close behind him.

They got out of the inn with no incident. They ran into Team Eeveelution, who happily reported that Katie's tail was doing much better, though it was still heavily bandaged. Miss Kirlia gave the duo a hearty wink as they left the sweet-smelling paradise.

When they emerged into the small burg, they made a beeline for the Job Board. Cindy had regained her excitement now; she figured that a good exploration would get her mind off her strange dream.

They finally reached the small wood board and began to peruse it for a job request. They had only examined it for a moment, however, when a loud wail reached their ears.

Cindy gasped and tore her eyes away from the wood board, glancing around to find the source of the noise. It turns out that a young Togepi that was holed up at the Kecleon Shop was the one crying.

Cindy and Phoenix didn't hesitate to race off to help the Togepi. He needed help, and they were willing to give it to him.

Togepi resembled an egg: his body was mainly a white eggshell that was printed with blue and red triangles. His head resembled that of a partially-cracked egg, it was tan and spiked, with two small eyes and a small mouth. He would've been a very cute and happy-looking Pokémon if it weren't for the tears streaming down his face.

"Wah… W-waaaaah! M-my Gold Ribbon! My Gold Ribbon! Waaaaah!" Togepi sobbed.

"Now, now, youngster, I'm sure we can find it soon…" the Kecleon that was manning the Kecleon Shop reassured him. "In fact, here comes Team Blaze—they're certain to be able to find your Gold Ribbon!"

Cindy bent down close to the sobbing Togepi and patted him on his shell. "Hey, what's wrong? Is everything okay?"

Togepi looked up and wiped away his tears. "W-who are you? Are you bad Pokémon?"

"Nope! We're good Pokémon. I'm Cindy, and this is my partner, Phoenix. We're an exploration team, and we'll help you with whatever you need!" Cindy introduced.

"R-really?" Togepi sniffled.

"Really!" Phoenix said. "Now, what seems to be the issue?"

"See, a few days ago, I lost a very valuable item of mine: my Gold Ribbon!" Togepi explained.

"Yes! Every day, he's been checking here to see if I've found his ribbon, but so far, I haven't…" Kecleon explained.

"So you want us to find your Gold Ribbon?" Phoenix asked.

"Yeah!" Togepi confirmed.

"Sure thing, little guy! Now tell us: where do you think you lost it?" Cindy asked.

"Well, I think I lost it in—"

"Move over, pipsqueaks!"

The next thing Cindy knew, a large Pokémon had shoved them to the dusty ground. She spat out some dirt and looked up to find herself face-to-face with three Pokémon that had seemingly came out of nowhere: a Zoroark, a Mightyena, and a Honchkrow.

Zoroark was a large gray wolf-like creature with a long, red mane that nearly touched the ground. She resembled a werewolf to Cindy, with her canine-like features, sharp claws, and growling voice.

Mightyena looked more like a real wolf with a long snout, long ears, and a long tail. A shaggy black and gray coat covered his body. If it weren't for his vicious claws and sharp teeth, he would've made a great pet dog.

Honchkrow resembled a crow to Cindy: his feathers were a dark blue and red, with a white crest of feathers and a sharp yellow beak. It looked as if he was wearing a fedora made of feathers, and his talons were quite sharp.

The trio looked and sounded very familiar to Cindy, but she just couldn't figure out why.

Togepi cowered away from the newcomers. "Who are you? Why did you push Team Blaze away?" he squeaked.

"You don't want some inexperienced exploration team looking for an item that precious to you, do you? No, trust us instead!" Zoroark growled.

"Who are you?" Togepi repeated.

"I'm Mightyena, the brave attacker…" Mightyena began.

"I'm Honchkrow, the intelligent strategist…" Honchkrow continued.

"I'm Zoroark, the bold and humble leader…" Zoroark continued.

"And we're Team Nightshade, the pitch black exploration team!" the three team members completed simultaneously.

"I heard that you lost your precious, valuable Gold Ribbon, am I right?" Honchkrow said.

"My my, that's a very valuable item there! You could sell that for a lot of money!" Mightyena observed.

Togepi gasped, looking appalled at the suggestion. "Oh no! I would never sell such a precious item! It was the last thing that my parents gave me before they went to Arceus!"

"'Went to Arceus'? What does he mean?" Cindy whispered.

Phoenix cringed. "It means that they've passed on… Arceus is our god here. If anyone ever says that someone's went to Arceus, it means that they've died…" he whispered back.

"Shush!" Honchkrow hissed back to the duo.

Cindy found it quite hard to follow that instruction. If both of Togepi's parents had died, that made him an orphan… That alone was sad, but he had lost his Gold Ribbon, his one memory of his parents. No wonder why he was so crushed.

"Oh, that is quite unfortunate… But don't worry! We'll get it back before you could say 'Team Nightshade is the best'!" Zoroark said, a mischievous smirk on his face. Even though she expressed her sorrows to the youngster, it was obvious from her tone that she wasn't the least bit sorry.

Togepi, on the other hand, hadn't noticed Zoroark's ungrateful tone. His eyes lit up, and he let out a whoop of gratefulness.

"Thank you! Thank you thank you _thank you_! Thank you _soooo_ much for helping me! How can I ever thank you enough? Oh my gosh, this is like a dream come true!" Togepi fell to his knees and almost seemed to be worshipping Team Nightshade.

"Yeah, no problem, squirt. We'll be back with your Gold Ribbon by tomorrow," Honchkrow said.

"Where did you say your Gold Ribbon was again?" Mightyena asked.

"Oh my… It's in Emerald Canyon… Thank you again…" Togepi breathed.

"Okay, then! Let's get going! See ya later, squirt!" Zoroark shoved Cindy and Phoenix down to the ground again before leading her team to the town.

Cindy got up and brushed herself off. "Those guys are terrible! They're so cruel!" she said, once again spitting dirt out of her mouth.

"What? No! They're not cruel! Team Nightshade is really nice! They're going to get my Gold Ribbon! I'm soooo excited!" Togepi said, bursting with enthusiasm.

"Er… that's great," Phoenix said halfheartedly. Cindy could tell that he felt that Team Nightshade was unbearable as well.

Cindy helped Phoenix lug himself off the ground, and the duo was about to leave to find a job, but before they could, a frightened yelp from Katie caught their ears.

Team Nightshade had run into Team Eeveelution, who looked frightened in the shadow of Zoroark and her nasty friends. Mightyena stepped in front of Zoroark and stared down at Katie, who cowered in fear.

"You'd better move it, girly, or we're gonna bite that tail off again!" he growled.

Cindy's stomach dropped. Now she knew why Team Nightshade was so familiar: they had been the thieves that had threatened to mug them two nights earlier. How else would Mightyena know that someone had nearly bitten off Katie's tail?

The shocking realization had occurred to Katie as well. Her fear was quickly replaced with rage. "You!" she screeched.

"Yes. Us. Now, move out of the way, or we're gonna mug you for real! And then we're gonna go after that wimpy little shrew and her _boyfriend_, the penguin!" Zoroark growled.

Katie snapped. She let out a scream of fury and leapt at Zoroark. Travis prepared his Fire Blast attack, and Grant prepared to leap at Mightyena, but before they could break out into a fight, another voice rang out in the town square: a loud, commanding, and ladylike voice.

"STOOOOOP!" It was Miss Kirlia, who had bust from Aroma Inn. She raced towards the fighters and threw herself in between them, stopping them from attacking. Team Eeveelution and Team Nightshade relented and backed down.

"Explain yourselves! Now!" Miss Kirlia demanded.

"Madame, it was their fault! They were in our way, and no matter what we said, they wouldn't move! Then they attacked us, and we had no choice but to fight back…" Zoroark lied smoothly.

"They're lying! They threatened to injure us and steal from us! They also threatened to steal from Team Blaze—over there…" Katie said, gesturing towards Cindy and Phoenix.

"Nonsense! You were the ones in our way! You were the ones who didn't move, and we just had to use force…" Honchkrow said.

"Enough!" Miss Kirlia said boldly. "Now, I don't know exactly what happened, but I can tell you that if you decide to fight one more time, then I will have no choice but to kick you out of town. I don't want to, but I will if it comes to that."

"But—" Zoroark began.

"No buts! I don't want to see you fighting anywhere in this town! Is that clear?!" Miss Kirlia asked.

"Yes, Miss Kirlia. We understand," Katie said, bowing her head down. Her other teammates mirrored her action.

"And you?" Miss Kirlia asked, turning to Team Nightshade.

Zoroark took a long time to agree, but she finally did. "I'm very sorry. I won't do it again."

"Yeah right," Phoenix whispered.

"Good!" Miss Kirlia regained her lofty mood and skipped back to Aroma Inn. "I will be taking my leave now. Have a good day, you guys, and _no fighting_!" She opened the door, which squeaked a little as it opened. She gave one last wink to Cindy and Phoenix and vanished in the inn.

Zoroark, Mightyena, and Honchkrow gave Team Eeveelution one last incensed stare of hatred before heading out into the town.

"Great. Just great," Phoenix moaned, sitting on the ground, defeated. "We just let a bunch of criminals get away with fighting, and now, those scumbags are going out to 'retrieve' Togepi's Gold Ribbon… How much do you want to bet that they're gonna sell it for money instead of returning it to Togepi?" he griped.

"Hey… don't worry. I know it's hard to see a bunch of criminals just stroll off like that, but we have to let it go. It'll be okay," Cindy tried to assure him.

"No it's not!" Phoenix leapt off the ground, now quite angry. The agitated tone of Phoenix's voice took Cindy by surprise. "It's not okay! There are a bunch of thieves on the loose, and we're their next targets! It's not okay. It's anything _but_ okay!"

Cindy grasped Phoenix's shoulders and forced him to stare right into her eyes. "Listen. We can't get caught up in this just yet. If we do, it'll make them more likely to attack us. We should just hang low, but if they don't deliver their promise, then we'll do something about it. Is that okay?"

"But—" Phoenix protested.

"Is that okay?" Cindy repeated firmly.

Phoenix looked like he wanted to continue the argument, but after a minute of staring into Cindy's intense eyes, he begrudgingly nodded.

"Okay. That sounds great. I'm sorry for snapping out at you," Phoenix said, brushing off his dusty behind.

"It's fine. Now, let's get going. There's exploring to be done."

XxX

The rest of the day folded out uneventfully. Cindy and Phoenix embarked on a short expedition to Moorland Hill to save a Swirlix from the wrath of the wild Ivysaurs. It was a somewhat boring day, and Cindy went to sleep wishing that the next day would hold some more exciting adventures.

She didn't know it at the time, but the next day would _definitely_ be more exciting than that day.

XxX

**Ooh! More mystery!**

**What is with the strange voice in Cindy's dreams? What are the intentions of the mysterious Team Nightshade? Will they do the right thing? Find out... when I feel like posting the next chapter.**

**In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review!**


	12. The Battle of Emerald Canyon

Chapter 12: The Battle of Emerald Canyon

That night, Cindy slept peacefully. She wasn't haunted by nightmares, but she also didn't have any dreams of the field of rainbow mist. It was nights like this that Cindy enjoyed most, no dreams, no nightmares. She slept soundly and didn't wake up until dawn.

She didn't know it at the time, but she would need the sleep for the coming day.

XxX

Phoenix yawned and stretched his wings, preparing for the day ahead. He grabbed his Special Band, tied it around his neck, and turned to face Cindy, who was also preparing for the day ahead.

"Good morning, Cindy!" he said brightly.

"Good morning, Phoenix! Let's make this day a great one!" Cindy said.

The duo took a moment to munch on a breakfast of juicy red apples before setting out into the world beyond the inn.

Mead Village was largely the same as it was on any other day: the same Pokémon, the same peaceful atmosphere, the same shops. The only difference in the small town was Togepi.

He was hanging out by the Kecleon Shop again, but today, instead of sobbing miserably, he couldn't have been happier. His dramatic shift in mood was due to Team Nightshade's "promise", which most likely wasn't a real promise at all.

"Hey, Cindy! Hey, Phoenix! How's it going?" Togepi asked.

"It's good. How are you?" Cindy asked.

"I couldn't be happier! Team Nightshade should be returning with my Gold Ribbon any moment now! Ooh, I'm soooo excited!" Togepi squealed, practically beside himself with glee.

"Oh yeah, about that…" Phoenix said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "We… don't really think that Team Nightshade will keep your promise."

Togepi gasped. "W-what do you mean?! They promised me that they'd bring me my Gold Ribbon by today! They promised! They wouldn't want to break that promise, would they?! What would make you think that?!" he cried.

"See, yesterday, they almost got into a fight with our good friends… That, and they threatened to rob us, and they push us aside every time we're in their way!" Phoenix said.

The words had no sooner left his mouth when a very tall and very familiar Pokémon shoved them out of the way.

"What did we tell you, pipsqueak? Move out of our way!" Zoroark demanded.

Team Nightshade looked the same as before, down to the ugly sneers on each of their faces. The only difference now was the bandana tied around Zoroark's neck. The bandana was a bright gold color that was almost painful to look at. Cindy knew what it was without even having to think about it: it was Togepi's Gold Ribbon.

"Yay! Team Nightshade! You're back!" Togepi cried, bouncing up and down happily.

"We sure are, squirt! And guess what we have: your Gold Ribbon!" Zoroark said, untying the bandana around her neck. She presented it to Togepi, who squealed in delight.

"Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes YES! Yes! Thank you! Thank you thank you THANK YOU!" he squealed brightly.

He picked up the bright fabric and rubbed it against his cheek, the bandana shimmering and rippling with every shift. He tried to tie the bandana around his neck, but it was much too big for his small body. Instead, he clutched it tightly, his eyes shining with emotional tears.

"T-thank you… You don't know how much this means to me…" he said.

"No problem! See, those losers wouldn't be nearly as quick as we were to retrieve it!" Mightyena said, half-glancing at Cindy and Phoenix.

"Umm… yeah…" Togepi said uncertainly. He shot a nearly unconceivable look of sorrow to Team Blaze, who looked especially woebegone lying on the ground, their bodies dirty and dusty.

"Anyway, I'm glad that you're happy," Honchkrow said, patting Togepi on the head with his wing. Togepi beamed and rubbed his treasure against his cheek again.

Cindy was perplexed by the team's oddly kind attitude. Were they really good Pokémon at heart? Did they just have a grudge against Cindy and Phoenix? But if they were good Pokémon, why would they have a grudge against her?

It turns out, no.

"But now…" A nasty sneer formed on Zoroark's face, "you're coming with us!"  
"What—?" Togepi just had time to look confused before the square broke into chaos.

Honchkrow let out a loud screech like a war cry. He beat his wings proudly, stirring up pebbles on the ground. He flew at the confused Togepi and dug his talons into his spiky head. Small streams of blood began to pour down his face.

"EEEEEEEEEEEK!" Togepi cried. "Get off of me! Get off of me!"

"Togepi!" Cindy cried, her insides exploding with panic and fear.

She and Phoenix raced forward to intervene, but Mightyena bared his fangs and growled, keeping the young explorers at bay.

"Say goodbye to Togepi, weaklings!" Zoroark said, leering nastily at them.

Honchkrow ignored Togepi's wails of pain and began to beat his wings more powerfully this time. Much to the onlooker's horror, he began to fly off the ground, Togepi dangling underneath him. He let out one more screech and began to fly away, leaving behind a few dark blue feathers in his wake.

"If you wanna save this sniveling weakling, come to Emerald Canyon! Good luck getting through it, though!" Mightyena snarled.

"See you later, losers!" Zoroark said.

Mightyena raced off, following Honchkrow and Togepi. Zoroark turned to follow… but then she noticed Togepi's Gold Ribbon.

"Don't you dare—" Cindy said threateningly, but her warning was lost on Zoroark.

Zoroark picked up the gold cloth and hastily tied it around her neck. She gave the duo one last snarky smirk before turning her tail around and following her accomplices. She was surprisingly fast, and in only a few moments, she had vanished down another dirt path.

"HEEEEEELP!" The distant cry of Togepi echoed off the buildings of Mead Village.

But then, there was silence.

Togepi… was gone.

All the onlookers in the village were stunned, speechlessly gaping at the site of the kidnapping. Cindy and Phoenix were also stunned, and in Cindy's case, confused too. They had emerged from Aroma Inn… what? About ten or fifteen minutes ago? Then they had found Togepi, who was brimming with excitement. And now, the bright, happy youngster was gone.

And it was all thanks to Team Nightshade. Those jerks were the ones responsible for all this. In fact, Cindy was willing to bet that they were the ones who caused Togepi to lose his Gold Ribbon.

Cindy could feel her rage inside her, burning and building like a carbonated soda bottle. "Those… JERKS!" she cried. "I _hate _them!"  
"So do I!" Phoenix said, his face also contorted with fury.

Cindy felt her fury reach its peak, and a brilliant inferno was ignited on her back. The flames were so bright that Phoenix's face was nearly roasted, however, due to his type advantage, only a few scorch marks were left.

"Let's go. We're gonna get our revenge on those—" Cindy took a moment to curse out Team Nightshade—"If it's the last thing that we do!"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Phoenix agreed.

Cindy shot off like a rocket, following the path that Team Nightshade had taken to escape. Phoenix raced behind her, trying to stay clear of the inferno on Cindy's back.

_Revenge… is best served hot,_ Cindy though with a somewhat twisted smile.

XxX

The landscape dramatically changed as they charged down the pathway. Soon the green, grassy field was replaced with a drab field of grayish rocks. The sky was clouded over by now; not a single ray of sun shone through the puffy gray clouds. A few Geodudes mindlessly roamed the plain, but they had no interest in fighting Cindy or Phoenix.

Team Blaze wasn't particularly interested in the rocky landscape, however. All that Cindy could think about was Togepi…

_Is he okay? I hope he is… Surely he's terrified… _she thought as she raced through the desolate landscape. _But don't worry… We're coming to save you, Togepi…_

After several minutes of running down the rough pathway, Cindy could feel her legs getting tired. She slowed her pace down a little bit, and when it got to be too bad, she took a break and massaged her legs, but the thought of Togepi in Team Nightshade's clutches compelled her and Phoenix onward. They had to rescue him, and they weren't going to let aching legs stop them.

It seemed as though they had been running for hours while they had in fact only been running for a few minutes. The inferno on Cindy's back had fizzled out long ago, but her rage still remained. She had to save Togepi. She had to.

"Cindy! Watch out!"

The frantic voice of Phoenix brought Cindy out of her half-formed thoughts. She screeched to a halt and looked back at Phoenix, trying to figure out what was wrong.

It turns out that she had stopped just in time.

Only inches from Cindy's feet was a chasm so wide that Mead Village could've comfortably fit in there. The sides were very steep and rocky, and the bottom of the canyon was so far down that you probably would die if you were to fall down. A tiny river snaked through the gray canyon, so small that it looked like a blue thread. A few tiny shimmering chunks of green dotted the sides of the canyon.

Cindy felt dizzy looking down into the vast depths of Emerald Canyon. She was so high up, and the canyon reached so far down into the earth…

She staggered back, trying to keep the contents of her stomach in. She was somewhat scared of heights, which made exploring a dungeon like this terrible for her.

"Urk… So I'm assuming this is Emerald Canyon?" Cindy asked.

"Apparently. There are rumors that there are minute traces of emerald in the walls of the canyon, which is how it got its name, obviously. Some miners come here to mine the emerald… but more often than not, they never come back…" Phoenix said grimly.

Cindy's stomach lurched. Out of pure habit, she grabbed Phoenix's arms in her own, relieved to have the company of her partner with her. She let out a sigh of relief and backed away from the edge of the canyon.

"I don't wanna explore here…" Cindy moaned.

"Neither do I… but we have to do it. For Togepi," Phoenix said.

As if on cue, the faint cry of what sounded like a young Pokémon echoed through the canyon, bouncing off the drab gray walls.

"…indy? Phoenix? Can you… hear me?"

The voice was very faint, but there was no doubt that it had come from Togepi.

"Shut up!"  
This voice was distinctly male, but the speaker was so far away that Cindy couldn't tell if it was Mightyena or Honchkrow.

"Please, hurry up—"

Togepi's pleas were cut short by a loud slapping noise. A distant whimper bounced off the walls, and the pleas went silent.

Cindy could feel her fear draining away from her, being replaced by anger. She took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled, trying as hard as she could to not scream in anger.

"Those little… We have to go save Togepi now!" Phoenix said.

"Yeah, but how? I would assume that Team Nightshade is holed up somewhere in the canyon itself, and I don't see any pathways down there…" Cindy's stomach fluttered again as she considered the ways that they could get down.

They could jump…

_No, we'd never make it…_

They could try to find a path down…

_That would take forever…_

Or they could do it the old-fashioned way: hike down into the canyon with no paths to follow.

It was the true way of an explorer.

"Hey, Phoenix, are you ready for a hike?" Cindy asked.

"I guess… That seems to be the only way to get down…" Phoenix said, stretching his wings.

Cindy approached the edge of the cliff and steadied herself. The great height didn't seem quite as dizzying as it was before.

She took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose. "Okay. I'm ready."

"Good, because so am I," Phoenix said.

"Now, let's go and kick their butts." Cindy nodded again, a bold expression on her face.

She took one last deep breath and stretched her hands, preparing for the long hike into the canyon. She looked down at the rocky ledges and sighed, examining a tiny emerald embedded in the rock.

"Here goes nothing," she said bracingly.

She lowered herself down onto the nearest rocky ledge, nearly slipping as she did so. A few tiny pebbles broke off the ledge and tumbled down into the abyss below. Hopefully the same wouldn't happen to Cindy.

The ridge wasn't big enough for the two of them, so Cindy had to lower herself down to another rocky platform to make room for Phoenix. It was tough work, and she found herself wishing that she had wings like Honchkrow.

_Flying down here would be a snap, _she thought as she imagined the great blue wings that Honchkrow had.

Phoenix let out a sharp gasp and wavered, his weight almost too much for the tiny ledge to take. Cindy reached a stubby arm out to help steady him. Just in time, too, as just then, a large chunk of rock gave way. Phoenix would've tumbled into the canyon, where he'd certainly meet his end if Cindy hadn't helped him.

"Thanks," he said breathlessly.

"I just hope you'll do the same for me, because I have a feeling that this'll be happening a lot," Cindy said, grimacing.

"Of course," Phoenix said.

Cindy smiled grimly and nodded. "Thanks. Anyway, I'm going to lower myself down to the next platform. Will you be okay here?" she asked.

"Yep. Just keep on trucking, Cindy," he said.

"Okay."

Cindy took another deep breath, trying not to look down at the gaping chasm below. She slowly lowered herself down, grabbing a few rocks that jutted out of the canyon wall for balance. She reached the next platform, which appeared to be slightly larger than the last.

Cindy helped Phoenix onto the ledge before she hiked down to the next one. Luckily, Phoenix didn't lose his balance as Cindy stepped down.

And so it continued. Cindy would go first, lowering herself down the rocky canyon walls. She'd find a suitable foothold and help Phoenix down to it before heading down to the next platform.

It was tough work. Cindy's hands were blistered and bleeding after only a few minutes. Every time she lowered herself farther down the rough walls, an intense pulse of pain would shoot through her body. She found herself wanting to give up… but every time she opened her mouth to complain about the pain, Togepi's desperate cries for help returned to her, and she knew she had to keep going.

Phoenix was also tiring out quickly. She could tell by his exhausted pants, his moans of pain, his motor coordination, which seemed to be lessening as they reached the bottom of the canyon. This was very evident, as he nearly slipped several times during the hike. Only Cindy's quick thinking saved him from certain death.

Finally, after an eternity of blisters and near-death experiences, the duo reached the bottom of Emerald Canyon.

The rocky walls all around them were as tall as skyscrapers. A few tiny green specks dotted the ground below them; these were presumably the emeralds that gave Emerald Canyon its name. A tiny stream gently flowed beside them. A few tiny fish Pokémon swam downstream, though they didn't seem to want to attack the duo.

"Well, here we are," Cindy said, peering into the crystalline water.

"Yeah… Togepi shouldn't be too far ahead. Let's keep going," Phoenix said.

"Yeah," Cindy agreed.

She tightened the Yellow Bow, which had come loose during their hike down the rocky ridges. She looked down at her bloody and blistered hands, wincing at the sight of crimson liquid coating her hands. She was tempted to touch her Explorer Badge and teleport back to Mead Village, back to where she could be safe, but Togepi wouldn't want her to chicken out now. They needed to keep going, no matter what happened.

"Let's go. Once we find Team Nightshade, I'm gonna kick their butts."

Cindy led onward, a fiery determination in her heart. Phoenix followed close behind her, the same determination present on his face.

_Just hang on, Togepi…_

They continued to walk through Emerald Canyon, following the small stream's path. Occasionally they'd run into a Graveller, the evolution of Geodude, and Phoenix would dispatch it quickly. Sometimes a Spinarak or another Bug type Pokémon, which Cindy would take care of without thinking. Using Ember was second nature to her now.

_This is more like it,_ Cindy thought. _This is more of what I'm used to… No hiking down canyon walls… just adventuring, defeating Pokémon, exploring…_

Sometimes a plea from Togepi would echo down the canyon walls. It seemed to be louder now that they were actually in the canyon itself, and as they progressed onward, the pleas seemed to be getting louder. These cries for help were the only thing pushing the blistered duo on.

One more lifetime later, they reached the end of Emerald Canyon. What they saw didn't help to improve their mood at all.

Team Nightshade was waiting for them, their mouths twisted into cruel smirks. Togepi's Gold Ribbon was tied around Zoroark's neck. It looked incredibly out of place on such a dark creature.

Behind the criminals was a trembling Togepi. He looked terrible. His body was beaten up and bruised, and he had bleeding claw marks all over his eggshell. His head was covered in dried blood from where Honchkrow's talons had dug in. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and his breath was raspy and wheezing.

"T-Team Blaze?" he rasped.

"Yes, you idiot. It is Team Blaze, the bravest idiots on this side of the world," Zoroark said.

"Team Nightshade," Cindy said, her words full of loathing. "You are the three most despicable criminals I have ever met. You steal from a young Pokémon just for the heck of it, and then you kidnap him? You are the lowliest Pokémon I've met!" she cried.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it. We do bad things. You don't need to spell it out for us," Mightyena snarled.

"But it's true! You do bad things, and therefore you must be punished!" Phoenix said.

Honchkrow snorted. "Punished? By who? By you? You've got to be joking!"

"But if you really are serious, then we'll fight you. Keep in mind, we're not responsible for whatever injuries you get by fighting us!" Zoroark snarled.

"It's on. If we win, you have to release Togepi and give him back his Gold Ribbon. If we lose, you can do whatever you want. Deal?" Cindy asked.

"Deal, though there's no chance of you twerps winning!" Mightyena spat.

"Well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we?" Phoenix asked.

"You'd better get ready to lose, 'cause here we come!" Honchkrow said.

Meanwhile, from behind the Dark type criminals, Togepi cheered. "Go Team Blaze! Go Team Blaze! You can do it!"

"Shut up!" A swift bite from Mightyena shut Togepi up and opened up another gash in her body. "Anyway, prepare to lose!"

Zoroark charged at the young explorers, and the battle began.

Cindy started out with an explosive Flame Wheel attack. "Let's heat this battle up a little bit!" Cindy cried with a grin. The flames hit Mightyena head-on, scorching his shaggy pelt. He whimpered like an injured wolf and ran around in circles, trying desperately to put out a few small embers.

"Oh, are you feeling a little on the warm side? Well, I'll be happy to cool you off a little!" Phoenix said, spitting out a high-pressure BubbleBeam attack. The last of the flames were doused by the bubbles, and Mightyena staggered back, whimpering like a dog.

"I may be down... But I'm not out!" he snarled.

Mightyena suddenly leapt forward and raked his claws against Cindy's chest. She stumbled back in pain and clutched her stomach, trying to staunch the steady flow of blood.

Zoroark lunged forward, her clawed hand cloaked in shadow. She slapped Phoenix with her shadow cloaked hand, and Phoenix collapsed, barely able to take the attack.

"He's almost done for! Go get him, Honchkrow!" Zoroark ordered, noting the weak state that Phoenix was in.

"Gotcha, boss!" Honchkrow fluttered up into the overcast sky, his beak open in a screechy war call. He flew down at Phoenix, his beak aimed at his face.

"No! Phoenix!" Cindy tried to struggle up and take the attack for her partner, but she was too weak. When she tried to sit up, the claw marks on her chest stung. She couldn't do it. There was nothing she could do to save her partner.

Just before Honchkrow impaled Phoenix on his beak, Cindy squeezed her eyes shut. There was a sickening _schlock_ followed by an agonizing cry from the Penguin Pokémon. Cindy summoned all her courage and opened her eyes...

Phoenix was lying on the ground, his body a bloody mess. A huge, circular gash had been opened on his face, almost like a bullet hole. His chest was moving up only slightly.

Without hesitation, Cindy ran up to her partner. "Phoenix! Phoenix, are you okay?!" she cried, cradling his head in her arms.

Phoenix let loose a cough. "Urk… I… I don't... think I can last..." he said.

Team Nightshade guffawed at Phoenix's suffering state. "Hah! That little idiot didn't last long, did he?"

Cindy felt herself beginning to choke up. It didn't look like her partner was going to make it. He wasn't just defeated, he was dying.

"P-Phoenix…" Cindy murmured.

She hugged the penguin's bleeding body close to her and let her tears flow unchecked. Her faithful partner… he was dying…

Or was he?

Instead of slowly bleeding to death like she had expected, Phoenix seemed to be waking up. His wounds were closing, the crimson liquid was cleaning itself off his body, his eyes slowly opened, and he took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Phoenix?" Cindy whispered. "What's going…?"

There was a small _clank_ as something dropped from Cindy's Explorer Bag. She looked down and saw the remains of their Reviver Seed, a Plain Seed, had fallen on the ground.

Cindy's brain clicked. Phoenix's miracle recovery was thanks to the Reviver Seed, which had been lying in their Explorer Bag collecting dust. There was no need to use it until now.

Phoenix hobbled up and wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead. He now looked completely fine: not a single scratch or bruise dotted his body.

"Man, that Reviver Seed works wonders, huh, Cindy? We're gonna have to give the Kecleons a big thank-you once we get back home!" he said, his dying voice being replaced by one of perfect clarity.

Zoroark stepped back. "No. Impossible. There's no way…"

"I have two words for you: Reviver Seed. It's a great item, and if you want to avoid what's about to happen, you should invest in some yourselves!" Cindy didn't waste any more time. Her rage bottled up in her again. These dastardly Pokémon weren't gonna nearly kill her partner and get away with it! She was gonna get revenge.

Her back was ignited in an inferno yet again. Cindy proceeded to use Flame Wheel, which took out Mightyena and badly scorched Honchkrow. Phoenix followed up with a high-pressured BubbleBeam, which nearly took out Honchkrow as well.

Zoroark tried to attack Cindy, but at the last second, Cindy ducked, exposing Zoroark's claws to the blazing inferno on her back. She got a fistful of flame and withdrew her sharp claws immediately.

Honchkrow was too weak to attack. He weakly waddled up to Phoenix and pecked at his eyes, but a quick Bubble attack from Phoenix made him retreat. He staggered back a few steps and collapsed into a pile of scorched, soaking feathers.

That left only one Pokémon: Zoroark.

Zoroark had dropped her smug manner and now looked, quite frankly, terrified. Cindy guessed that she didn't want another burnt hand.

"Oh, do you not want another burnt hand? Well, don't worry, I won't burn your hand… Instead, I'll burn your whole body!" Cindy said.

Her body heated up, her back flaring up like a bonfire and heat swirling around her. She charged at Zoroark, letting out a cry of fury. When she collided with the werewolf-like Pokémon, there was another cry: a cry of terror.

Zoroark collapsed to the floor, her fur singed and smoking. She weakly opened one eye and gave Cindy and Phoenix a look of pure hatred.

"Now now, there will be no more of that," Phoenix chided. He shot out one last BubbleBeam, and with a defeated huff, the beast fell.

Togepi, who had been frightfully watching the whole battle, raced up to the fallen Zoroark. He stuck his tongue out at her and untied her Gold Ribbon, which had been strangely unharmed, despite the fact that Zoroark had been burned and doused in water.

Then the youngster ran up to Cindy and Phoenix, cheering loudly. "Yay! Yes! Yay! You saved me from those beasts! Thank you! Thank you thank you _THANK YOU!"_ he cried through tears of joy.

"No problem, little guy," Phoenix said, patting Togepi on the head. His body was still bruised and bloody, but one sky blue Oran Berry got rid of most minor wounds.

"Now, we might want to get that checked out at Dr. Chansey's place, but you should be fine," Cindy said as she administered the berry to the injured Togepi.

Togepi beamed. "Thanks soooo much, guys. I don't know how to thank you…" he said.

"Nah, everything's okay. Your smile is all we need!" Phoenix said cheerfully.

"Now let's get out of here. We don't want Team Nightshade mucking up our escape, do we?" Cindy asked.

"Nope! Thanks again, guys!" Togepi thanked them once again.

He reached up and touched Cindy's Explorer Badge. There was a bright flash of light, and Togepi was gone, teleported back to Mead Village. Cindy and Phoenix followed suit, thinking of nothing but their soft cotton beds back at home.

XxX

Zoroark groaned and woke up in a pile of singed fur. Her whole body ached, and she barely had the strength to even open her eyelids.

Around her, the sounds of her companions waking up filled the air. She summoned all her strength and opened her eyes to find that she was still lying in Emerald Canyon, defeated. That stupid Cyndaquil and her partner, the dumb penguin, had beaten them.

"Argh… Those pipsqueaks are so annoying…" she groaned.

"No kidding… I still can't believe that they beat us…" Honchkrow said.

Zoroark groaned and sat up, shaking off a little bit of her charred fur. "Whatever. They got in a few lucky shots, so what? Next time we meet, we're gonna be the victorious ones."

"Yeah…" Mightyena agreed.

Zoroark lied down on the ground, staring up at the cloudy sky. The gears of her brain began to turn, and she began to think up another scheme to get rid of Team Blaze.

_Next time we meet, we're gonna be the victorious ones…_

XxX

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for updating so late, but better late than never, I guess. Don't forget to review!**


	13. A Frosty Adventure

**This is kind of a confusing chapter, in my opinion. It features bad foreshadowing, unexplained snowstorms, and even a Spanish Treecko. Seriously.**

**Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Don't forget to review!**

Chapter 13: A Frosty Adventure

"Thanks so much for saving me and helping me get my Gold Ribbon back!" Togepi beamed.

"No problem, sweetie!" Cindy said affectionately.

They were back in Mead Village by the Job Board, watching the sun sink down behind Hotel Reconnoiter. Togepi looked a lot better than he had only a few hours before, save for a few small scratches on his white and beige body.

"Ooh, I wish there was something I could give you as a reward, but all I have is my Gold Ribbon… My parents would've been able to give you something, but they're with Arceus now…" Togepi's gleeful eyes turned sad and gloomy.

An idea sparked in Cindy's mind. How did his parents die? If her hunch was correct…

"Hey, Togepi? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but… how did your parents… Why did they have to go to Arceus?" Cindy asked cautiously.

Phoenix nudged her in the side. "Don't ask such rude questions!" he hissed.

Togepi looked down, tears forming in his eyes.

"Togepi… I'm sorry…" Cindy hastily apologized.

"Mommy and daddy… They got really sick. Their bodies… They looked so terrible, and they smelled so bad… One day, they both went to Arceus, and now they're there to stay…" he murmured.

Cindy didn't hesitate to hug Togepi. "Oh… I'm so sorry… I didn't mean…"

Togepi looked up, his face smiling again. "No… it's fine. I know they're in a better place now. They're probably having a lot of fun up there with Lord Arceus now. I'm not sad."

Phoenix grinned. "It's good that you put a positive spin on such depressing topics."

"Yeah!" Togepi reached into his eggshell and produced a tiny green gem out of it. An emerald. "Anyway, here! Have this emerald. I found it while those meanies were holding me in the canyon. It was my good luck charm, but now I don't think I need it now. Go ahead! Take it!"

Cindy slowly took the tiny gem from Togepi's tiny hands. She examined the gem for a moment, looking at the smooth green edges that glistened in the dying sunlight.

"Thanks!" Cindy said.

"No problem! I'm sorry I can't give you anything else, though," Togepi apologized.

"Oh no, that's fine. Like I said earlier, your smile is all I need!" Phoenix repeated.

Cindy put the tiny emerald into a side pocket of her Explorer Bag. She made sure that the pocket was securely fastened so the emerald wouldn't fall out or get stolen.

"Well, I guess we should be taking our leave now… See you around, Togepi." Cindy began to lead Phoenix back to Aroma Inn, but they didn't get too far before Togepi called them back.

"Hey! Wait! I need to tell you something else!" he cried.

Cindy returned to Togepi and listened eagerly for his words. "What's up?"

"I just remembered a place where you can find some real treasure!" Togepi said gleefully.

Phoenix leaned forward, listening with rapt attention. "Where?"

"Well, there are rumors that on the top of Snowstorm Summit, there's a temple made entirely of ice. Rumor has it that there's a miraculous treasure guarded by a fierce legendary Pokémon in the temple," Togepi said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "It would be really cool if you two could find the treasure!"

Phoenix leaned away from Togepi, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Yeah, that would be pretty cool…"

"Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. Good luck with your explorations, and thanks for saving me again!" Togepi beamed a bright smile at the duo before ambling off into Mead Village, humming cheerfully to himself.

Phoenix turned to Cindy. "Wow! A miraculous treasure on top of Snowstorm Summit? That sounds soooo exciting!" he said.

"It sure does," Cindy agreed.

"So what do you think? Should we go try to find it?" Phoenix asked.

"Of course! I'm a Fire type Pokémon, and by the sound of it, there are lots of Ice type Pokémon in there. It should be a piece of cake to someone like me!" Cindy said, a confident smirk on her face.

Phoenix smiled. "That's the spirit! Now, before we go off on any more crazy explorations, let's get some rest. We'll need it if we're gonna take on a supposed legendary!" he said.

"Yeah. Let's get going."

Cindy led the way to their room in Aroma Inn, unaware of the sinister snicker from the shadows of the town.

"Snowstorm Summit, eh? Hmm… Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" a voice said.

"Yeah," another voice said.

The speakers chuckled, their snickers full of malice.

"Oh man, those dunces will never see it coming!"

XxX

The night came and went with no incident. Cindy didn't have any dreams, but she could've sworn that she heard the same feminine voice in her slumber, whispering something incomprehensible. It may have been her mind wandering during the night, but it was enough to make Cindy unsettled by the morning.

After several hours of somewhat fitful sleeping, the morning sun rose above the town. Sunlight streamed in through the window, waking Cindy from her slumber.

She yawned and stretched her limbs, tying her Yellow Bow around her neck again. Once her Explorer Bag was slung around her neck, she proceeded to wake up Phoenix, who awoke without a hitch.

The two explorers plucked some apples from the apple tree and scarfed them down, not wanting to waste any time. The appeal of treasure on top of Snowstorm Summit rushed them through the morning routine. The eager explorers wanted to get some real treasure now.

On the way out of Aroma Inn, Cindy and Phoenix ran into Team Eeveelution, who was also getting ready for the day ahead.

"Hey, Team Blaze! We heard you saved a Togepi from some criminals yesterday!" Travis said, shining with respect.

"Yep. It was really nice to see his smiling face once we saved him," Phoenix said.

"Now we're off to go find some treasure at the top of Snowstorm Summit. Wish us luck!" Cindy said gleefully.

"Snowstorm Summit? I heard that's a wicked cold place to be," Grant said, shivering.

"Psh. Don't worry about that, I'm a Fire type! I'll be just fine," Cindy said confidently.

"Okay… If you say so…" Katie said uncertainly.

"Good luck, you two! Be careful!" Travis said, giving the duo a jovial pat on the back.

"Thanks. You too!" Phoenix said.

With a gleeful smile, Cindy led the way into Mead Village to prepare for their expedition to Snowstorm Summit.

They went on a super shopping spree at the Kecleon Shop, buying all the Oran Berries and Reviver Seeds they had in stock. They then deposited the rest of their money in Purrloin Savings and Loan, and when they were finally ready, they set off to find the treasure of Snowstorm Summit.

They wandered around town for a few minutes, asking around for directions to the mountain, but finally, they found the right path.

The right path was a forest path, lined with tall evergreen trees. The air around the trees was frosty, enough to make even Cindy shiver. The clouds above the forest path were dark gray, and it looked like a blizzard would blow in at any minute.

Cindy dashed down the path without hesitation, Phoenix trailing close behind.

They failed to notice the three large Pokémon that plunged into the forest after them.

The path was pretty normal, for the most part. A few Pokémon occasionally crossed the dirt road, but Cindy or Phoenix dispatched them right away. Sometimes the path would disappear, and Cindy would have to crash through the green pine trees to progress onward.

And was it just her imagination? Or was there… someone following them the whole time…?

Nothing particularly interesting happened… that is, until they met the Treecko.

Cindy crashed through the forest and nearly barreled over a tall, green Treecko. His large yellow eyes were wide with fear, and his green body was cut in many places. A large, jagged scar cut through his left shoulder.

The Treecko stumbled back, screaming in a foreign language.

"_Lo siento! Solo estaba— yo estaba en un apuro—" _he said. Though Cindy could not tell what the Treecko was saying, she figured he was apologizing, as the look in his eyes one of apology.

"Pardon?" Phoenix said.

The Treecko shook his head. "Sorry… I… not good in English…" he admitted.

"Um… are you okay?" Cindy asked.

The Treecko's eyes widened when Cindy spoke. He approached the Cyndaquil and reached out his long arm as if to touch her forehead, but soon he withdrew it.

"_Lo siento._ I think… I thought I knew…" he said.

"Um…" Cindy said, now thoroughly weirded out by the Treecko.

But before she could say anything more, Treecko perked up, tilting his ears to the woods behind him. "_Tener cuidado! Oigo a alguein!_" he warned.

Cindy was at first puzzled by his words, but if she listened closely, she could hear the sounds of feet over pine needles. Someone was coming this way.

Phoenix, however, was a little on the slow side. "What?!" he exclaimed.

Before the duo could do anything else, the Treecko leapt into the trees. There was another foreign cry from the Treecko and some scuffling, and before long, the noise had quieted down.

The Treecko leapt back out of the trees, his body a little more scraped up now. "There. _Mucho mejor. _All better."

"Who was that?" Cindy asked.

"Big… strong… I disabled them… not for long," the Treecko said in broken English. "Said… they coming for Team Blaze… you?"

"Yes," Cindy said, nodding.

"Anyway, we'd better get going before they get back up. Thanks, Treecko," Phoenix said, taking deep breaths to overcome his shock.

"_De nada_. I… I'll go too. See you…" Treecko dashed back into the trees, his feet barely touching the forest floor. There was a rustle of leaves, and the Treecko was gone, disappeared into the forest.

Phoenix glanced at Cindy. "Well, that was weird…" he said.

"Well, I'm not complaining. Just as long as he temporarily disabled our pursuers, I'm fine," Cindy said with an indifferent shrug.

"Well, we'd better get going before they become un-disabled," Phoenix said.

Cindy nodded wordlessly. She dashed off into the forest without hesitation. Phoenix followed close behind her.

Throughout the rest of the forest hike, Cindy saw no sign of their pursuers. About halfway through the piney wood, snow began to trickle down from the cloudy sky. The dainty snowflakes stuck to the ground, the trees, and the two explorers. In only a few minutes, the entire forest was frosted in snow.

The temperature slowly dropped, chilling Phoenix to the bone. Cindy didn't feel very cold; she guessed that it was because of her Fire type. Phoenix wasn't quite as immune to the cold as Cindy was.

"Ugh… I-I'm c-cold…" Phoenix complained at one point.

Cindy didn't hesitate. She concentrated her energy and lit her back up in a bright inferno. This skill was coming naturally to her, now that she'd spent so long in the Pokémon world.

"There. Is that better?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah, I guess…" Phoenix walked up to the flame on Cindy's back and warmed his wings by it, obviously thankful for the heat.

"Keep in mind, we still have to explore a freezing cold mountain, and I don't think that I can keep this fire going forever. You're gonna have to get used to the cold. Sorry to sound harsh, but it's true," Cindy said, trudging through the snow.

"No, it's true. I need to be hardier than this," Phoenix said, a determined grimace on his face.

They walked through the snow-filled wood for a few more minutes before emerging in a plain of white snow. The snow was very deep, as if it had been piling up there for years. Not a single flower or blade of grass stuck through the waist-high snow.

At the far end of the plain was a large mountain that looked like an iceberg sticking up from a sea of snow. It was covered in snow like the rest of the plain of snow, and if Cindy squinted close enough, she could see… a large cube of nearly transparent ice on top of the mountain.

"Well, this is it," Cindy said, now struggling to keep the fire on her back blazing.

"All we need to do is trek through this field of snow." Phoenix sighed. "Well, at least it looks pretty…"

"Yeah," Cindy agreed, her eyes scanning the field of snow.

"Well, let's get going and find the treasure of Snowstorm Summit!" Phoenix's excited tone returned along with his energy.

"That's the spirit!" Cindy said.

She spat out a few embers from her mouth to create a path through the soft white flurries. Then she and Phoenix began to wade through the snow, the bitter cold biting their noses.

Once again, they failed to notice the three Pokémon that were still following them.

The trip through the plain of snow was not very interesting. No Pokémon crossed their path. No terrain troubled them; it was just a field of grass covered in snow. The warming fire on Cindy's back had fizzled out, leaving her exhausted from the effort, and Phoenix certainly wasn't happy about that.

In fact, the most interesting thing that happened there was Phoenix complaining about the cold.

An ominous feeling surrounded Cindy and her companion as they got closer to the snowcapped mountain. It felt like someone was watching them. Had their mysterious pursuers gotten back on their tails?

The snow was falling thick now, and through the weather, it was impossible to tell if anyone was following them. But the feeling persisted as the dark mountain loomed out of the blizzard.

They trudged through the snow for about half an hour before finally reaching the mountain.

By now, they were freezing. The snowstorm was an all-out blizzard now, and needless to say, they were both very cold. Cindy tried to ignite her back, but it just sputtered a little and was blown out by the howling winds.

"Well, we're finally here," Cindy said.

"Oof… Finally…" Phoenix said, shivering in the cold.

"Hey, don't worry. Once we reach warmer ground, I'll reignite my back again. Then you'll be warm. Plus, we're looking for treasure here! Everything'll be okay," Cindy said, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

Phoenix nodded. "Y-yeah… I'm sure I'll be fine…"

Cindy stared up at the mountain. The snow was falling so thick now that she couldn't see the peak of the iceberg, but she could assume it would be a long trip up. Luckily, a few winding pathways were carved into the mountain, so the duo wouldn't have to climb the hard way.

"You ready?" Cindy asked her shivering partner.

"I think so…" Phoenix said uncertainly.

"Well, let's get this over with."  
And Cindy led her partner up the frosty mountain.

The mountain was very chilly, just like the field they had just hiked through. It seemed to be less chilly now, as the wintery storm seemed to be petering out, but it was still very chilly nonetheless.

It was also very slippery, like a glacier sticking out of the earth. Every wind threatened to throw them off balance, or even worse, over the edge. In fact, that almost happened to Cindy. It was quite lucky that Phoenix was paying attention.

After Cindy's near-death experience, they continued up Snowstorm Summit, their bones chilled and their teeth chattering.

The Pokémon there were Ice types, as one may have expected in such a frosty environment. Bergmites, Delibirds, and Spheals appeared from the thick snow and tried to hamper their progress. One swift Flame Wheel from Cindy, however, would leave the attackers defeated.

There was one time when they ran into a massive Beartic, a large polar bear-like creature with icicles hanging from its mouth. It let out a loud roar of defiance and exhaled a blast of icy cold wind at Phoenix.

It looked like a rather strong attack to Cindy. Phoenix stumbled back, disoriented by the blast of cold air, but he didn't think it was as disorienting as it looked, as he simply grimaced and pushed the bear away.

"Icy Wind? Is that all you've got?" he said, preparing to attack with his BubbleBeam move. Cindy prepared to use Flame Wheel as the Beartic took several steps back.

Just before they were about to launch their attacks, Cindy noticed something. A tiny purplish splotch was poking its way through the fur of the creature. It was small enough to be mistaken for an insect, but this was the Pokémon world, and insects weren't that small.

The Beartic faltered, following Cindy and Phoenix's gaze to his chest. Once it saw the purple spot, it went ballistic, trying to scratch the spot away. As it swatted away at the blotch, it almost seemed to be… getting bigger. Spreading.

The Beartic let out a roar, which seemed more like a wheeze now. It teetered back and forth, dangerously close to falling off the edge of the mountain.

Cindy rushed forward to help, not caring if it was a wild Pokémon she was trying to save. Before she could save it, it let out a weak gasp, and with one more surprised look at Cindy and Phoenix, it teetered back, falling off the icy mountain with a roar.

Phoenix raced to the edge of the mountain, Cindy following close behind. They peered down the mountain, but all they could see was the endless white flurries of the snowstorm. The Beartic was gone.

Cindy shivered, not just because of the cold. The last few minutes had been terrifying for her. She had watched a Beartic go crazy trying to get the spot off it, and then she had watched it fall to its death. Nobody deserved a fate that terrible.

And yet… it felt like Beartic's death… confirmed something, in a way. When the spot appeared, its bold roar had turned into a wheezy gasp. And the spot… it looked purple… just like…

"Phoenix?" Cindy said, her voice wavering.

"What?" Phoenix asked.

"Do you think… do you think that the Beartic had the same disease as Chris and Bagon? You know… the whole blotchy skin thing?" she said.

"Maybe…" Phoenix said.

"Wait… Did it use Ice Fang or any other contact move on you?" Cindy asked, fear creeping up in her voice.

Panic crawled into Cindy, turning her blood as cold as the air around her. If her suspicions were confirmed, then Phoenix might already have the terrible, decomposing virus Chris and Bagon had. She didn't want her partner to end up like them, no matter what.

There was a long pause, during which Phoenix looked over his body, checking for any purple blotches. After an eternity and a half, he finally shook his head.

"Nope. It used Icy Wind, which isn't a contact move. Nothing to worry about here," he said.

Cindy unexpectedly collapsed into Phoenix's arms, sobbing with relief. He patted her reassuringly on the head. "Don't worry, Cindy. Everything's fine… it's all okay… we're not infected, it's okay…"

"Y-yeah… I was just… If you did get the disease…" Cindy shook her head, not wanting to think about what might happen if he was infected. It was too much to think about.

"Well, I'm not. I'm fine. We're fine. We're cold, but we're fine," he said.

For a few minutes, the duo sat locked in an embrace, not saying a word. Cindy could feel her body heat up, but she wasn't sure if it was from Phoenix's body heat, her own body heat, or embarrassment. She personally thought it was the latter.

A few minutes later, she broke away from the embrace and turned to the mountain. The peak was now in sight, she noted.

_Finally! We're almost up to the treasure! _Cindy thought, a thrill of excitement coursing through her. _But we still have that legendary Pokémon to worry about… And what about those Pokémon that have been pursuing us? The ones Treecko got rid of…?_

She shook her head, promising herself that she'd find the answers to her questions in due time. _For now, let's just worry about the treasure on top._

"Hey! Phoenix!" Cindy said sunnily.

"Hmm?" Phoenix said, turning away from a snowflake he was examining.

"Are you ready to find some treasure?" she asked, smiling.

Phoenix's eyes lit up like miniature suns that would melt away the snow. "Heck yeah! Let's go. I wanna get all the treasure that we can find there!" he said, his eagerness to explore once again returning.

"Great. Because we're almost at the top!"


	14. Riches and Rogues

**Here's another somewhat confusing chapter for you. Despite it's "confusingness", I hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 14: Riches and Rogues

The hike up Snowstorm Summit was quite simple from there. No more Pokémon crossed their path, much to the relief of Cindy, who was still trying to recover from the shock of Beartic having the disease.

It was quite unnerving to think about Beartic and the blind frenzy it went into upon discovering it had the disease. His voice had changed… his skin color had changed… it was as if they were facing an entirely new creature.

_No, we can't think about that now, _Cindy chided herself, brushing a few snowflakes from her nose. _We have to keep going. We have to get the treasure. What's done is done, and Beartic is gone. We need to go._

"Hey! Cindy!"

Phoenix's excited voice brought Cindy out of her daydreams. He had reached the peak of the mountain, and she was lagging a few steps behind.

"Yeah?" Cindy said.

"Check this place out! It's some sort of temple made entirely from ice!" he said in awe.

"No way!"

Cindy raced up to Phoenix and saw a beautiful, awe-inspiring sight in front of her.

A large, roofed structure that had been constructed entirely out of ice had been built on the peak. It was really quite beautiful; the ice was a shining opaque blue, sparkling despite the lack of sunlight. Many columns supported the roof. The columns were engraved with carvings of various Pokémon.

At the far end of the temple, they could see a large chunk of ice that seemed to be a different color than the rest of the ice surrounding it. It was more of a… greenish-purple color, like a Grass or Poison type Pokémon.

Cindy brought the hunk of discolored ice to Phoenix's attention immediately. "Hey, do you see that thing in there?"

"Yeah," Phoenix said, nodding.

"What do you think it could be?" she said, whispering now.

"I have no idea…" he said blankly.

"Well, let's go check it out, I guess…?" she whispered uncertainly.

"Sure…"

Cindy took one apprehensive step up the slippery ice stairs, afraid to even breathe for fear of alerting the creature within. Phoenix followed close behind, his breath making tiny clouds of mist in the air.

"Hello?" Phoenix said, his voice echoing off the icy walls.

Cindy slapped her hand over his beak. "Shush! That thing might be the legendary that Togepi was talking about, and do you want to make it angry?!" she hissed.

"Sorry!" Phoenix whispered back.

Cindy turned back to the hunk of ice lying on the ground, but if it had heard them bickering, it gave no indication that it did.

"I'm sorry. It's just… I don't want whatever that thing is getting angry at us…" she apologized.

"Oh no, that's fine," he whispered.

The duo continued to walk toward the strange hunk of ice, not daring to make a sound.

One time, Cindy slipped on the freezing floor, yelping as her head hit the ground. She unsteadily got up, rubbing the back of her head, which had hit the ice hard.

"Ow! That really hurt," she complained as she hobbled up.

"Shh! Don't be so loud!" Phoenix hissed.

"Sorry!" she said.

But the strange thing still didn't react.

They continued through the temple slowly, their breath misting in the air. As they approached the thing, they slowed their pace, still not wanting to wake up the creature.

Finally, they were right in front of the strangely colored block of ice.

Cindy screamed.

Her Pokémon instinct kicked in. She recognized the Pokémon as a Regice, she could make out arms, legs, and seven yellow dots in the shape of a plus sign, but everything else was distorted, completely messed up.

It was covered in green and purple splotches, its yellow eyes had dimmed, implying that its vision was swollen, and a disgusting reek of death wafted off from the body. It didn't appear to be alive.

"Yuck… What… What is that?!" Phoenix screamed, taking an involuntary step backwards.

"It's a Regice… I think this was the guardian of the treasure…" Cindy said slowly.

"What… what do you think happened?" Phoenix stuttered.

She thought back to their recent battle against the Beartic. She was fairly sure that it had the disease that Chris and Bagon had… was it possible that the disease had spread to Regice as well?

"I think… I think it's been another victim of the disease…" she guessed, struggling not to gag.

Phoenix looked quite queasy as well, and he stumbled around dizzily like a drunken man. "Urk… This is like an epidemic!"

"Yeah," Cindy agreed, trying not to throw up.

"But… um… hey, that means that we don't have to fight him! We can just go and find the treasure, wherever it is," Phoenix said, quickly trying to change the subject.

"Oh, you want to find treasure too?"

A cruel, mocking, feminine voice echoed through the temple. Cindy looked around frantically for the speaker, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Well, I'm afraid that there is no treasure here… any more!"

"Where are you? Show yourselves!" Phoenix said boldly, glancing around.

"Very well, then! Let's go, boys!"

Three Pokémon leapt out from behind a pillar of ice. Cindy recognized them immediately, though she wasn't at all pleased to see who they were.

Team Nightshade had arrived. Zoroark, Mightyena, and Honchkrow were all present, shivering from the cold. Flurries of snow stuck on Zoroark's long "ponytail". The looks on their faces were the same as they'd always been: a confident sneer, as if they knew they were the best.

"T-Team Nightshade! What are you doing here?!" Phoenix cried.

"Gee, do you really need to ask that? We're looking for treasure!" Mightyena sneered.

"We heard that weakling Togepi telling you that there was treasure on this mountain. So we followed you here to claim the treasure for ourselves!" Honchkrow explained.

It all made sense to Cindy now. The strange feeling that she was being watched, the Treecko dashing off to disable their pursuers, the sound of crunching snow behind them as they walked through the field of white. They had followed them, and by the looks of it, they had arrived at the peak first.

"You sick criminals," Cindy said.

"Anyway, as you can see, there is no longer any treasure here. Can you guess why?" Zoroark asked, her tone cruel and mocking.

Phoenix's eyes widened as the realization occurred to him. "You! You guys stole it!" he cried.

"Exactly!" Zoroark reached into her Explorer Bag and pulled out a sparkling gold treasure chest engraved with runes and crude pictures of Pokémon. From the strained expression on her face, the chest was very heavy.

"Do you see this? It's called the Lost Loot. It's worth more money than you could ever imagine, and as you can tell, that's just the thing that we like!" Honchkrow explained, using his wing to gesture to the chest.

"Oh, you little… Give that back right now!" Cindy demanded.

"See, we're the ones who got the treasure first, and as the phrase goes, finders keepers, losers weepers!" Mightyena said.

"We'll battle you for it!" Phoenix suddenly blurted out.

Cindy glanced at him, a worried expression on her face. "Phoenix—"

"If we win, you keep the treasure. If we lose, you keep the treasure. Is that a deal?" Phoenix said boldly.

Zoroark put the gold chest away in her Explorer Bag with a grunt. "Hmm…" she considered.

Cindy could see, if only for a split second, Zoroark nod. It was a nearly unperceivable nod, but she had seen it. She tensed. Something bad was about to happen.

"Get 'em, Mightyena!" Zoroark commanded.

Mightyena nodded.

Phoenix tensed as well, bracing for an attack. "Here he comes, Cindy!" he warned.

But instead of Mightyena charging at Team Blaze, he charged at the large pillars that held the roof up. Mightyena rammed into it.

There was a low cracking sound. The crystalline pillars began to fracture.

Phoenix cursed. "They're gonna bring down the roof!" he cried.

The cracking sounds got louder. The pillars began to web more, buckling under the strain of Mightyena's repeated attacks. They didn't have much time.

"So… are you gonna escape?" Zoroark asked.

Cindy tried to move but found herself inexplicably rooted to the spot. She looked down and found that her legs were encased in some sort of dark energy, sort of like Katie's psychic powers. She was stuck there with nothing to do but await her demise.

Phoenix groaned, trying to move, but he too was stuck in place. He desperately tapped his Explorer Badge, trying to teleport back to Mead Village, but for whatever reason, no column of light came to save them.

An earsplitting cracking noise filled their ears. Three of the six pillars were cracking, collapsing under the weight of the heavy roof. Icicles began to rain down from the ceiling, falling on the explorers' heads and knocking them silly. The end was coming.

Zoroark laughed a cruel laugh and stepped out of the temple, leaving Cindy and Phoenix alone with a dead Regice.

"Ha ha ha! See you in the great beyond, losers!" she snarled.

Mightyena rammed into one last pillar, cracking it under his vicious attack. The ground began to rumble, the temple slowly collapsing around Cindy and Phoenix, who were still standing there, held in place by Zoroark's weird dark energy.

Phoenix grabbed Cindy's hand and squeezed his eyes shut. "Well, this is it…"

"See you…" Cindy murmured through the noise.

She closed her eyes. A single tear trickled down her cheek. An icicle crashed onto her head, nearly knocking her out. She tensed her body and prepared for death.

_KERRACK!_

The next thing she knew, Cindy had been pinned to the ground by a chunk of falling ice. A yelp and another crash right next to her told her that Phoenix had also been trapped. The ice was freezing cold, and the weight of it nearly crushed her. She knew there was no way out of this.

Her mind wandered as her breathing became ragged. She thought about all the unanswered questions that still swam around in her head. What was up with the mysterious disease spreading across the world? Who was that mysterious Treecko who saved them in the forest? She had a feeling that she should know him…

But most importantly, why had she been turned into a Pokémon? And by whom?

_Gosh, being a Fire type Pokémon's been great. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I could breathe fire…_ she thought, her mind slowly shutting down.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. She looked at the chunk of ice that was pinning her to the ground, and a plan began to form in her mind.

_I'm a Fire type Pokémon… And fire melts ice…_

Cindy knew what to do.

She pushed away the good thoughts about being a Pokémon and only focused on the bad thoughts. Team Nightshade had trapped them beneath a ruined temple. They had kidnapped and stolen from an innocent young Pokémon. They had threatened to mug them on multiple occasions.

All those bad memories bottled up in Cindy, threatening to burst out at any minute. She was like a carbonated coke bottle: she was normally quite sweet, but if you disturbed her too much, she'd explode.

And explode she did. With a scream of pure rage, the inferno on her back blazed to life. It seemed much more powerful now, but maybe that was simply her imagination.

Flames swirled around her, licking her skin but not hurting her. Around her, Cindy could feel the ice thawing out, melting away into little puddles of water.

She felt the cold and pressure melt away from her, freeing her from her icy prison. Her muscles still ached, but she knew she would be okay. She struggled to sit up from the freezing ground.

She opened her eyes, temporarily blinded by the bright sunlight. Black spots danced across her vision. She had to blink several times before she could get a clear view of the area around her.

The temple had collapsed. All around them, the ruins of a once-great shrine was now nothing more than a few broken shards of ice. Phoenix was buried underneath a rather large section of the roof, his feathers singed and bruised, but he was still breathing.

Team Nightshade stood a few paces back, gawking at Cindy and Phoenix, shocked that they had survived. Mightyena's mouth repeatedly opened and closed, at a complete loss for words.

The fire on Cindy's back had extinguished, leaving nothing but some melting ice and a few dying embers as a testament to the inferno she had created. She stumbled forward, quite exhausted, but she was desperate to not show it to the band of criminals.

"Impossible. There's no way…" Zoroark stammered.

"How are you still alive?" Honchkrow asked.

Cindy stamped out a tiny ember. "I don't know, either, but I'm not complaining. Just as long as I'm strong enough to fight you…"

"Cin-hee! Cin-hee! 'Elp me up!"

Phoenix's muffled voice brought her attention back to her partner, who was still trapped under a large chunk of ice.

Cindy wasted no time. She quickly used Flame Wheel on the collapsed ice roof. It melted away like ice cream in the hot sun.

Phoenix was lying on the cold ground, some of his feathers singed from Cindy's inferno. His body was dripping wet with melted ice. He looked quite weary and weak, but he was still alive.

Cindy helped him stand up. "Phoenix! Phoenix! Are you okay?" she asked.

"Y-yeah, I think…" He paused and spat a small icicle out of his mouth. "Just as long as I can move, I'm fine."

"That's great."

She turned her attention away from her partner and faced Team Nightshade, who was still gawking at them. "What are you so surprised about?"

"You're… alive…" Honchkrow said.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious. Yes, we are alive, but if you don't get out of here soon, you won't be!" she snapped.

Honchkrow and Mightyena flinched in fear, but Zoroark held her ground. She didn't look at all pleased that Cindy and Phoenix had somehow survived the collapsing of a temple.

Finally, after staring at the duo for an intense moment, she slowly unbuttoned her Explorer Bag and took out the gold treasure chest. She slowly placed it on the ground, all the while not breaking eye contact with Cindy.

"Here. You can take your stupid Lost Loot. You deserve it," she said grouchily.

Cindy stepped forward warily, not knowing if this was a trick. It apparently wasn't, as Zoroark simply watched as she picked up the heavy treasure chest.

"Thank you, I guess," Cindy said as she retreated back to Phoenix.

"Watch your back next time, 'cause we're not gonna play nice with you next time," Mightyena warned.

Before either team could say another word, Team Nightshade turned around and began the long hike down the mountain, leaving Cindy and Phoenix alone with the ruins of the ice temple.

"Sweet! We did it! We got the treasure of Snowstorm Summit!" Phoenix whooped, pumping his wing into the air.

"Yeah!" Cindy said. "But…"

Phoenix turned to her curiously. "But what?"

"Aren't you wondering about that Regice?" Cindy said.

"Um…" Phoenix glanced down at the ground, his eyes focusing on a single shard of ice. Cindy followed his gaze, and to her faint horror, she found that they were standing on top of Regice's shattered body.

It had been crushed like a bug when the roof collapsed, and now all that remained of the legendary Pokémon was a few shards of discolored ice. It was quite freaky to look at.

"If the disease has spread this far up…" Cindy said.

"We're in the middle of an outbreak of disease," Phoenix said glumly. "This isn't good…"

"You know what? Let's leave. I don't wanna be here," Cindy said, shivering from the cold and the idea of a worldwide outbreak of disease.

"Good idea."

Without hesitation, Phoenix and Cindy reached up to their Explorer Badges. There was a flash of light that shone like a beacon through the snowstorm, and the two explorers were gone.

XxX

**More mystery! What is this strange disease? Who or what is causing it? Who is the mysterious Treecko that Cindy thinks of for no apparent reason?**

**Find out... when I feel like posting the next chapter.**

**Wait. Didn't I already use this joke? Eh, whatever.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review!**


	15. The Plague of Mead Village

**I decided to make this chapter a little more action packed, though I end up making things even more confusing.**

**I still do hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 15: The Plague of Mead Village

Cindy grinned as she placed the gold treasure chest on her bedside table. She was quite happy that they had gotten the treasure of Snowstorm Summit.

The Lost Loot was a very valuable prize indeed. Inside the solid gold chest was a wealth of gold and silver coins, gems, and other beautiful and valuable treasures. They were all coated in a very fine layer of dust, leading Cindy to believe that they were very old, further increasing the value.

She figured that it would fetch a pretty penny at the Kecleon Shop, but she had no interest in selling it. They had gone through so much to get it, and they weren't just gonna give it away for a little extra cash.

Cindy yawned. "It's been a long day, hasn't it?" she said.

"Yeah," Phoenix replied sleepily.

He was already tucked under the covers of his soft bed, preparing for the night ahead. He really had no interest in talking with Cindy then, he just wanted to go to sleep.

"We should get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be another big day, and we could use the energy," she said.

"Mmm-hmm," Phoenix agreed nonchalantly.

"Anyway, good night, Phoenix," Cindy said as she laid down on her bed and closing her eyes.

Phoenix didn't respond. He was already asleep.

XxX

_"__Ugh… again?"_

_The swirling rainbow mist appeared in front of Cindy once more. Once again, she was dreaming, something she had not done for several days now._

_ "__Hello? Is anyone there?" she called in her mind as she looked around at the field of mist. Surely there was someone here._

_Right on cue, the shapeless green blob from before appeared before her. It may have simply been Cindy's imagination, but it seemed to be less fuzzy and clearer now._

_**"**__**Hello, Cindy Brandt," **__the blob said._

_Cindy gasped. She hadn't been called by her full name in forever. How would this blob know about her name? She had never told anyone, not even Phoenix._

_**"**__**Oh? Are you wondering how I know your name?" **__the blob asked._

_ "__Er… yes…" Cindy said._

_**"**__**I have my ways. When I am stronger, I will explain everything to you. Speaking of which, I should be strong enough to appear in your world soon, but for now, I am confined to the world of spirits and dreams…"**__ she said._

_ "__Wait… Did you say… spirits? Are you… are you a ghost?" Cindy asked._

_**"**__**I guess you could say that. I was one of the first to be claimed by…" **__the voice mused._

_Cindy's curiosity was piqued. "Claimed by what?"_

_**"**__**Oh, never mind. Just an old Pokémon rambling… I came here to tell you of another friend in this world. His name—rather, his nickname, is Saber, and he…!"**_

_Before the blob could continue, a loud static-like noise filled Cindy's ears. The world flickered in and out, like a bad television signal. The voice couldn't continue._

_**"**__**N-no… I can't… hold on…" **__it murmured. __**"Running… out of… strength…"**_

****_The entire world began to fade before Cindy's eyes. The gently swirling mist began to move erratically as it had before… Darkness ate away at Cindy's vision…_

_ "__No! Wait! Don't go! Tell me: who is this 'Saber' character?! I wanna know! I wanna knoooooow!" Cindy shrieked as she began to slip away._

_**"**__**Fare… well… Cindy…" **__the voice said. It was now very faint and barely audible. The blob was gone, vanished into the static mist… And so was Cindy… she too was gone…_

XxX

Cindy's eyes fluttered open, her heart pounding from the dream she had just witnessed. She was back in her room, the rainbow mist nowhere to be seen.

It was still quite dark out. The moon shone through the window, a single beam of moonlight illuminating Phoenix's sleeping form. Bright stars twinkled in the sky, winking at Cindy like fireflies.

_Ugh, what a weird dream… What was she going on about now? Something about… "being claimed"… and someone named "Saber"? _she thought groggily.

She shook her head and flopped back down on her bed, closing her eyes. _Gah, this is too much to think about. I need to get some sleep._

That was much easier thought than done. For the rest of the night, she tossed and turned, trying to get some shut-eye, but no matter what she did, sleep continued to elude her. Soon her mind was bleary from lack of sleep.

She just had too much on her mind. She couldn't help but think about who this "Saber" was or what the blob meant by "being claimed". She couldn't get her words off her mind.

Soon, golden light was streaming in through her shut eyes. She slowly opened them, pausing to blink the blurriness out of her vision. She still felt weary, but she felt that she could get through the day okay.

Cindy rubbed her eyes and slid out of bed, giving a slight moan as she did so. How she longed to take a break and stay at Aroma Inn all day, but she knew, as an exploration team, that wasn't an option.

She slowly tied her Yellow Bow around her neck and slung her Explorer Bag over her shoulder. She went to Phoenix's bed and shook him to wake him up, though she lacked the vigor that she normally had.

"Good morning, Phoenix. Let's get this over with," she murmured.

Phoenix sat up, his eyes clear and alert. At least he'd gotten some sleep.

"What's up? Why are you so… unenthusiastic?" Phoenix questioned.

"I'm tired. I had a weird dream about this green blob thing telling me about this Pokémon named Saber and stuff… Then I woke up, and I couldn't get back to sleep after that," she explained.

Phoenix's eyes met Cindy's. Conflicted emotions flashed across his face, and he seemed to be considering something, though Cindy could only imagine what

"Er… Phoenix?" Cindy said uncomfortably. "What's going on?"

There was another long period of silence while Phoenix's face flashed with conflicting emotions. Finally, he dropped his gaze and stared down at the floor.

He nodded guiltily, dropping his gaze. "Mmm… Well, I should be honest with you… I've been having those dreams too…" he confessed.

Cindy's eyes widened as she silently absorbed Phoenix's words. Her jaw dropped, and she let in a gasp of air as the words sunk into her.

_"__I've been having those dreams too…" _he had said.

Finally, Cindy understood why Phoenix was sometimes so reluctant to say that he had a good night. He too had been dreaming of the swirling mist and the cryptic green blob.

For a moment, she stared into her partner's eyes. He had been having weird dreams as well, and he hadn't told her. She supposed that she should've been angry, but all she could feel was shock.

Then, after a moment's hesitation, she melted into his open arms. Deep inside, she felt embarrassed about hugging a boy, (she had never really liked flirting when she was a human) but Phoenix was her partner. He would stay by her no matter what.

"Phoenix…" she murmured, surprised to find herself choking up.

"Hey, it's okay. That blob's clearly on our side. Even though she's cryptic and confusing, her intentions are good. So let's not think about it, okay?" Phoenix said, a smile on his face.

"Um… okay…? But still, she was saying last night that—" Cindy began.

"Yes. I know about Saber and all. I guess we're gonna have to ask around to see who Saber is. I gotta admit, though: Saber is a really cool name," Phoenix said, a bare smile stretching across his beak.

"Yeah…" Cindy sniffled and tried to return the smile, despite her downcast mood.

"Cheer up! There's nothing to be so upset about!" he said, wiping away a tear that was trickling down Cindy's face.

"Yeah… I can't be sad now. There's exploring to be done!" she said, encouraging herself onward.

"That's the spirit, partner!" Phoenix paused to tie his Special Band around his neck. When the familiar blue bandana was safely secured around his neck, he led the way to the door. "C'mon, Cindy! Let's have another great day of exploring!"

Cindy was about to follow him when a golden glint caught her eye. She turned around and saw the Lost Loot still sitting on her bedside table. She picked it up with some difficulty and placed it in her bag.

After all, she couldn't just leave it unattended in an abandoned inn room. Someone (_Team Nightshade,_ Cindy thought to herself) might steal it.

She rejoined Phoenix at the door.

The Penguin Pokémon turned the doorknob and opened the door…

_Smash! Thump!_

"Ouch!"

Katie's panicked voice seemed to be the thing that really awoke Cindy. Her head snapped up, alert, and without hesitation, she raced out into the hallway to see what was going on. Phoenix followed close behind.

Katie was lying on the ground, a small bruise on her head. Travis and Grant surrounded her, asking her if she was okay and all. Travis perked up when he noticed Cindy and Phoenix.

"Oh. Hey, you guys," he panted breathlessly.

"Watch where you're going next time!" Grant said, waving a paw at them.

Katie grunted and sat up, her eyes strangely unfocused. "Grant! That's not nice to say!" she cried as she rubbed her head.

"Sorry!" Grant apologized.

"Um… hey guys. What seems to be the rush?" Phoenix asked casually.

"There's trouble in the plaza!" Travis explained hastily.

"They're saying something about a medical emergency or whatever. It's really bad—Officer Garchomp's on the scene!" Katie said.

Before Cindy could ask who Officer Garchomp was, Phoenix gasped, his face pale and his eyes wide with fear.

"That's not good. If Officer Garchomp is here…" he murmured.

"We're going to check it out and see if we can help. You should come too!" Grant said.

"Sure thing!" Cindy said, her brain kicking into overdrive.

Katie sprinted down the hallway, her comrades trailing behind her. Phoenix and Cindy didn't waste any time to talk; they streaked right after them.

Once they got down into the picturesque lobby, they noticed that Miss Kirlia wasn't at her reception desk. They also noticed several Pokémon huddled in the corners, as if they were hiding from something.

"Are you guys seriously gonna go out there? It's madness!" a young Axew cried.

"Don't worry. Madness is our specialty," Cindy said without glancing back at the Axew.

They didn't stop to chat longer. Instead, they burst through the inn door and ran into absolute madness.

It was like Armageddon had broken out. The residents of Mead Village were racing around, screaming their heads off. Even Miss Kirlia, who was normally quite cool and collected, had descended into hysteria. Many Gabites with dark shades tried to contain the crowd, reassuring them that everything was okay. Cindy guessed they were like police officers.

In the middle of the square was a tall purple dragon, a Garchomp, who was barking orders to the Gabites who were running around the square.

Dr. Chansey was bent over a small Pokémon, examining it. She noticed that the doctor had a white surgical mask strapped over her face, and with a jolt of her stomach, Cindy realized what they had meant by a "medical emergency".

Someone had the virus.

Cindy grabbed Phoenix's wing, her hand trembling in fear. "Phoenix… someone's got the virus. It's gonna spread…" she said.

Phoenix gasped and faltered as well. "No… this isn't good…"

Dr. Chansey picked up the ailing Pokémon, and Cindy got a brief look at who had the plague. She nearly screamed when she saw who it was.

Togepi, the bright, smiling young Pokémon, was now nearly unrecognizable. His skin was covered in blotches that were slowly spreading across his skin. He was screaming his head off, though it was more of a guttural choke than a cry for help. Tears squeezed out of his blackened eyelids.

He caught Cindy's eye for half a second and screamed out at her, his tongue turning a slimy blue color. "Cindy! Cindy! Cindy, help me! Help me, Cindy!"

"There, there, it's okay, sweetie… it's gonna be okay…" Dr. Chansey assured him.

She hustled over to a nearby pink building, carrying Togepi in her arms. Cindy pretended not to notice the tear trickling down her pink face.

The doctor pushed the door open, and in an instant, she was lost in the building.

"How… how did this happen? He didn't show any signs of the plague when we helped him," Cindy said, her tongue nearly numb with shock.

"I don't know…" Phoenix said helplessly.

"Deputy Gabites! We must clear this town of all who are not infected! All of you, kindly escort all uninfected civilians out of this town, and hurry up! We've already had three infected Pokémon so far…" Officer Garchomp barked.

"Yessir!" The many Gabites scrambling around town saluted to Officer Garchomp in unison.

There was a brief period of stillness while the Gabites held their saluted pose. The panic in town seemed to die down, if only for an instant.

"Go! Go!" Officer Garchomp ordered.

The mad scramble resumed as all the Gabites raced off into town to find any uninfected Pokémon.

Katie, Travis, and Grant appeared by Cindy and Phoenix, their faces lined with worry.

"Are you infected?! Are you?!" Grant cried.

"Not as far as I know," Cindy reported, trying not to let her fear show.

"That's great!" Katie opened her mouth to say more, but before they could continue their conversation, a Gabite wedged himself in between the two teams.

"All right, let's get a move on," he said. He began to push Team Eeveelution away from Cindy and Phoenix.

"We'll see you back in Center City! Be safe!" Katie screamed over the mass confusion.

"You too!" Phoenix cried.

The trio were soon lost in the crowd.

Two Gabites materialized in front of Team Blaze. Cindy could see her reflection in their dark shades, showing that she was still a shrew-like Cyndaquil. Their mouths were twisted into serious frowns.

"Pardon us, but we've received orders from Officer Garchomp to escort all civilians out of Mead Village," one of the Gabites said.

"W-what? No way! Is it that serious?" Phoenix cried.

"According to a recent study from Dr. Z, the disease spreads faster in crowded environments. In order to prevent this from happening, we must escort you out of town," the other Gabite said.

"At least three Pokémon have already been confirmed to have the disease. You don't want to be next, do you?" the first Gabite asked, sounding somewhat smug.

"No, but that Togepi—"

"Togepi will be fine. Come with us."

The Gabites circled around Cindy and Phoenix and positioned themselves behind them like escorts. They placed their clawed hands on their backs and pushed them forward on the path leading to Moorland Hill.

"Hey! No need to push!" Cindy cried indignantly.

The Gabites didn't respond, but instead, they pushed them harder.

"We're sorry, we just want you to be safe," one Gabite grunted under his breath.

They were quickly led down the dirt path, the Gabites shadowing them all the way. Cindy and Phoenix didn't complain; by now, they had even more things to worry about. Was Togepi okay? Were Katie and her teammates okay? Were _they_ gonna be okay?

The Gabites led them over the crest of the first hill, although "shoved" would be a more accurate term for what actually happened. They probably would've led them all the way back to Center City, but before they could, a loud roar bellowed from Mead Village.

The Gabites glanced at each other for half a second before backing away from the explorers.

"We must return to Mead Village to help out there. You are not allowed to return to the village under any circumstances. Once you get to a safe place, it would be advisable to have your blood checked for signs of the disease. Good luck, you two," one Gabite said quickly.

"Thanks. You too," Cindy said.

The Gabites raced over the crest of the hill without further conversation. They became tiny purple specks on the horizon, and then they were gone, back in the infected city.

Phoenix shuddered. "Oog… I sure hope Togepi will be okay…" he said.

"Yeah…" Cindy agreed.

"But we can't worry about him now, can we? We just need to worry about…" Phoenix cursed.

"What?" Cindy asked.

"I just realized… We need to make it back to Center City without any help from Team Eeveelution… That's gonna be hard…" he said.

"Yeah… I mean, we can probably make it through Moorland Hill; it's not very tricky, but what about Crystal Stream and Garden Grotto? How'll we get through there without getting lost a dozen times?" Cindy said, staring at the hills below.

"I guess we're gonna have to trust our instincts… I mean, it's only exploring, it's the thing we're best at, right?" Phoenix said, smiling a humorless smile.

"Yeah…"

Cindy took one last look at Mead Village. Down in the small town, several Pokémon were about to die, including their friend, Togepi. Had they come to terms with their fate? Or did they continue to hope that one day they would be cured?

Cindy wasn't ready to just accept that Togepi was going to die. As she examined the panic-stricken village, she prayed for Togepi.

_If there is no cure, at least make it fast and painless… _she prayed.

She found herself starting to tear up. So many innocent Pokémon were about to be claimed by a deadly disease… it was enough to make anyone tear up.

Phoenix wrapped a protective arm around Cindy. "C'mon. Let's get back to Center City."

Cindy nodded and brushed away a tear in her eye. "Yeah. We don't have time to be so sad. We need to be strong. Togepi wouldn't want us to stop exploring just because of this. Let's go, Phoenix."

Phoenix nodded wordlessly.

And the duo began the long journey home to Center City.

The trip through Moorland Hill was relatively easy. They rolled down the tall, grassy hills like they'd done many times before. They were having so much fun doing so that Cindy completely forgot about the outbreak in Mead Village.

However, once they got through the dungeon, (with little trouble; Cindy would roast any Grass types they met) their moods shifted to serious. They still had to get through Crystal Stream and Garden Grotto, and who knows what could happen there? Cindy didn't want to end up nearly drowning again.

Phoenix wiped a blade of grass off his wing as he stared forward at the forest ahead. "Ugh. Here we go again…"

"Relax. It'll be just fine. Just don't separate from me, and try not to disturb those Lombres again, okay? We're stronger now. We won't succumb to those attacks as easily as before, will we?" Cindy reassured him.

"Good point," Phoenix conceded.

"Let's get going. I'm starting to get homesick here," Cindy said, longing for her comfortable straw bed and the familiar bustle of Center City.

The duo proceeded down the dirt pathway, and soon they were in the forest ahead.

Cindy was right; they were a lot stronger now. Most enemies fell in one or two hits, even the occasional Water type they faced. It may have been Pokémon instinct, but they also didn't get lost, even though Crystal Stream was a really easy place to get lost in.

They explored the forest silently, their only noises being their battle cries and their grunts of pain when an enemy attacked. Even if she wanted to talk, Cindy wouldn't, because she just had too much on her mind.

"—there!"

The sudden whisper brought Cindy back from her thinking. It wasn't Phoenix or Team Eeveelution, or even a wild Pokémon, for that matter. It was completely unfamiliar.

Her head snapped around. She didn't see the speaker, though she could've sworn that she saw a bright blue light out of the corner of her eye. She dismissed it as her paranoid mind playing tricks on her.

Cindy roused Phoenix, who was examining an apple tree with hungry eyes. "Hey. Phoenix. Did you hear that just now?" she whispered.

"You mean that voice? Yeah," he whispered back.

"Who do you think it is?" Cindy asked.

"I don't know, but we're gonna have to be extra careful…" Phoenix whispered.

"Yeah," she agreed.

_Good luck with that, _she thought. The ground was covered in dead leaves that crunched whenever they took a step. It would be hard to sneak soundlessly through this forest.

She vowed that she would try to be as quiet as possible and continued on.

As they continued to explore the forest, the voice got louder and more frequent until it felt like someone was breathing down their necks. Cindy noticed that there weren't as many Pokémon now, as if they were all trying to avoid something.

Something about this whole situation seemed vaguely familiar to Cindy…

She gasped as the terrible realization hit her. _Great Arceus… How could I have been so stupid?! _she screamed in her mind. _It's Team Nightshade… isn't it?_

Unfortunately, she had drawn this conclusion a little too late. There was a loud snarl, and one of the bushes behind Phoenix rustled. Three dark shadows appeared behind the bush…

"Phoenix! Look out!" Cindy cried.

"Huh? What?" Phoenix said slowly.

"Behind you!" she screamed.

"What's behind—AAAAAH!"

Phoenix turned around a little too late.

Behind him was a very familiar Zoroark, Mightyena, and Honchkrow: Team Nightshade. They hadn't changed one bit since the last time they encountered them. The scowls on their faces did seem a bit more pronounced now.

Cindy leapt behind a nearby rock to avoid being noticed by the thieves. She could only hope that her long nose wouldn't stick out from it and give her away.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is! The weakling is out exploring!" Honchkrow said.

Phoenix, who was trembling fiercely, squeaked out, "I'm… not… a… weakling!"

"Where's your _girlfriend_, bubbleface? Out drowning in the river again?" Mightyena said.

Cindy barely held in a gasp. _How did they know that I nearly drowned?!_

Phoenix slowly and silently began to retreat back to the rock Cindy was hiding behind. He didn't get very far, as Mightyena snarled and leapt on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

The Piplup began to scream and thrash about, trying to free himself from Mightyena's grasp. Mightyena held tight, his claws digging deep into his skin.

"Cindy! Cindy! Help me! Get him off! GET HIM OFF!" he screamed.

Cindy knew that she couldn't take it any longer. She couldn't bear to see him in pain. She knew what she had to do.

She emerged from behind her hiding place, the inferno on her back igniting from rage.

"Leave my partner alone!" she cried.

Zoroark, Mightyena, and Honchkrow all turned their heads away from Phoenix and focused on Cindy. Phoenix took advantage of Mightyena's distraction to squirm away, but the canine still held him tight.

"Why, hello there, shrew. Here to join the party, aren't you?" Zoroark sneered.

"Thanks for the invitation, but no thanks. I'm here to free Phoenix. Now, get your grubby paws off him or I'll burn that confident smirk right off your face!" she said angrily.

"Calm down, my dear, calm down! That's what we were just about to offer!" Honchkrow said.

Cindy faltered, the flames on her back sputtering for a moment. "Just what do you mean by that?"

"We are willing to let Phoenix go on one condition: you give us the Lost Loot without a struggle," Zoroark offered.

"If you don't wanna give it to us, then things are gonna get nasty. Particularly for your _boyfriend_ here," Mightyena threatened.

Cindy didn't even have to think twice about it. There was no way that she was going to give up the treasure that they had worked so hard to get. "Are you _insane?! _Of course I will_… not_!"

The flames on her back flared up, burning a few small leaves on a tree to ashes. She made a mental note not to flare her back up too high in a forested environment for fear of causing a forest fire.

Zoroark nodded smugly. "Very well. If you won't cooperate with us, I guess that means that we're gonna have to use force. Honchkrow, go! Use Thief on the brat!" she snarled.

Honchkrow screeched out a war cry, beating his wings impressively. He charged forward at Cindy, ramming into her side with an impressive force. She felt her bag lighten, and once Honchkrow had returned to Zoroark, it was apparent why: the Lost Loot had been stolen from her bag.

"Great work, Honchkrow," Zoroark said.

"Thank you, milady," he said, bending his talons into a bow.

"And now, Mightyena?" Zoroark turned to the canine, who still had Phoenix pinned down.

"Yes?" he asked gruffly.

Zoroark flashed a nasty smile at Cindy. "Tear his throat out."

What happened next was too fast for Cindy to fully comprehend. Mightyena nodded, baring his fangs at Phoenix. Phoenix continued to scream, and this time, Cindy joined the ensemble. She too yelled in fear for her poor partner. She wanted to do something so badly, but she knew that she couldn't do anything but watch as Mightyena's head bowed close to Phoenix's throat…

"Oh no you don't!"

A loud, commanding, and unfamiliar voice rang out through the trees. It had a strange accent (the word "British" popped into Cindy's mind) and was distinctly male.

Zoroark cursed. "No way… It can't be…"

Before anyone could react, a gigantic beam of glowing green energy soared through a clearing in the woods.

Cindy's instincts kicked in. She reacted quickly, ramming into Mightyena. It wasn't a very powerful attack, but it was enough to distract him long enough for him to release Phoenix. Phoenix scrambled behind a rock, and Cindy only had time to duck before the beam of energy came in contact with Team Nightshade.

Zoroark let loose an exhausted groan. There was the sound of three defeated Pokémon hitting the forest floor, and then there was silence.

"Oh, come on, chappies! The danger's all gone now! Don't worry!"

The same British voice spoke again. This time, the speaker seemed much closer.

Cindy had learned to not trust anyone who had an unfamiliar voice. It had become second-nature for her as a Pokémon. But this guy seemed nice enough… He was presumably the one who disabled Team Nightshade…

Cindy slowly opened her eyes…

XxX

**Ooh! Cliffhanger!**


	16. The Mysterious Dr Z

**Stereotypical British doctor ACTIVATE!**

Chapter 16: The Mysterious Dr. Z

Above her hovered a strange Pokémon that vaguely reminded Cindy of a cybernetic duck. Its body was mainly red, but its arms, its chest, and its "tail" were blue. Its red head was, to her horror, detached from its body, and a bright blue beak was in between two yellow and black eyes. Glasses rested on the creature's beak, the glass lenses secured over its huge eyes.

Cindy recognized the Pokémon at once: a Porygon-Z.

Phoenix peeked out from behind his hiding place. He was cut and bleeding in a few places, but he was otherwise just fine. His worried expression quickly turned to one of joy when his eyes fell upon the spectacled Porygon-Z.

"Dr…. Dr. Z?! Is that really you?!" he cried.

The Porygon-Z beamed down at Phoenix. "Why, I wasn't aware I had a fanbase! Yes, that's me: Dr. Z, the world's leading researcher in diseases and plagues!" the doctor introduced.

Phoenix fell to his knees, practically revering the Porygon-Z. "Oh, Dr. Z! I've heard all about you! You're my inspiration! You were the one who inspired me to become an explorer with Cindy here!" he rambled, gesturing at Cindy.

Dr. Z glanced at Cindy, pausing a moment to adjust his glasses. "'Ello, lass! Are you this 'Cindy' that your friend is referring to?" he asked.

"Yes. My name is Cindy. Cindy Brandt. Pleased to meet you, Dr. Z," she said, holding out a hand for him to shake. He didn't shake her hand, however; instead, he simply stared at her.

"Mmm… yes, quite…" he muttered under his breath.

Cindy tilted her head, confused at the doctor's odd musings. "Pardon?" she asked.

"Ah, yes. My apologies. I've heard of you, too. She told me you would be coming…" He shook his head, dismissing the thought. "No matter! It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Brandt!"

"Nice to meet you, too," Cindy said, feeling slightly embarrassed. She had never been called "Miss Brandt" before.

"And I'm Phoenix, her partner. We're Team Blaze: the region's newest exploration team!" Phoenix introduced.

"Marvelous! Absolutely spiffing! Wonderful to meet you, Phoenix," Dr. Z said.

There was a groan from the forest floor. Zoroark and her cronies were starting to recover from the violent blast that Dr. Z had delivered. Her eyes opened a crack to reveal a look of pure hatred.

"You… little…" Zoroark took a moment to curse the trio of Pokémon out.

Dr. Z bent down low. "Pardon me, madam, but would you kindly watch your language? If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," he said, his tone still friendly.

He delivered a small slap to Zoroark's face. She groaned, and her head hit the forest floor with a small thud.

Dr. Z hovered over to the Lost Loot, which had been miraculously unharmed by his attack. He picked it up with very little difficulty and hovered back over to Cindy.

"I believe this is yours? Best not let it fall into their hands again," he said as Cindy stuffed the treasure chest into her bag.

"Thanks, Dr. Z. Now, I'm sorry, but we must be going now… We have to meet someone…" Cindy said.

Dr. Z tilted his head. "Hmm? Where do you happen to be going? Because I happen to be going somewhere as well."

"We're going back to Center City. There's been an outbreak of disease in Mead Village, and we've been ordered to evacuate," Phoenix said.

Dr. Z bowed his head. "An outbreak? Curses, Pokérus has spread to Mead Village… Soon nowhere will be safe…" he murmured.

"Pokérus? What's that?" Cindy asked.

"It's what I've dubbed this mysterious disease. It's a combination of 'Pokémon' and 'virus', because obviously it's a virus that only affects Pokémon," he stated matter-of-factly. "In fact, I was headed to Center City myself to deliver my research notes to Nurse Blissey. But then I heard signs of a struggle, and I came rushing here. Lo and behold, here you were!"

"Thanks for saving us, Dr. Z. You're a really cool guy," Cindy thanked him.

"No problem, lassie! It was my pleasure!" he said.

"So let's get going, Cindy. Team Eeveelution's waiting for us!" Phoenix said, drawing her attention away from the doctor.

"Hey, is it okay if I tag along with you guys? After all, we are both going to Center City, and you never know what troubles you may run into while you're there," Dr. Z said.

Phoenix didn't need to think twice. "Of course! You are my idol, after all!"

Dr. Z twinkled down at Phoenix. "Thank you, young Phoenix. I'm glad that I have such admiring fans!" he said bashfully.

Cindy looked forward into the trees. The edge of the forest was in sight, they only needed to cross a small, gently flowing river.

Dr. Z led on, Cindy and Phoenix pausing to slap the still-unconscious Zoroark in the face. They continued after the doctor, a broad smile on Phoenix's face.

Soon Team Blaze had made it out of the forest with nothing but a few scratches. The long dirt pathway to Garden Grotto stretched ahead of them. They were almost home now…

"Alright, chappies. We're almost to the city! We just need to brave this one last dungeon… We can do it!" Dr. Z said.

"Yeah!" Phoenix said happily.

"Let's get going!" Cindy said.

She took the lead this time, somewhat jealous of Dr. Z assuming the leadership role instead of her. But his intentions were good, and even if he did act a little pompous, she would eventually grow to like him as Phoenix did.

They hiked down the dirt pathway together, Dr. Z telling them about all his discoveries about the Pokérus virus going around. It was somewhat humorous to Cindy; his accent made everything sound so… foreign. Even during serious discussions like this, she couldn't help but grin as Dr. Z spoke.

Soon they had reached the entrance to Garden Grotto.

Phoenix took a few deep breaths, preparing for the Grass types in there. Cindy put on a confident smirk and spat out a few tiny embers. Dr. Z straightened his glasses.

"You ready, chaps?" Dr. Z asked. "We've got a long exploration ahead of us!"

"You know what I'm ready for? I'm ready to go home," Phoenix said, massaging his legs.

"Great, because we're almost home!" Cindy said brightly.

"Ah, but before you rest, can I ask one more huge favor of you?" Dr. Z asked.

"Yeah. Sure," Cindy said with an indifferent shrug.

"The reason that I'm going to Center City is so that I can present my discoveries of Pokérus to the general public. I feel that you should be educated about it as well so you can take the necessary precautions to avoid it. Does that sound okay?" he asked.

"Sure! I don't wanna be uneducated about this crazy deadly virus that's going around!" Cindy said, shuddering at the prospect of turning into the decaying creatures she had seen so many times.

"That's the spirit, Miss Brandt!" Dr. Z said, nodding his detached head at the young Cyndaquil.

With a slight nod back to the cybernetic duck, Cindy led the way into Garden Grotto.

Garden Grotto was unchanged since the last time they explored there. The same Pokémon attacked, the same obstacles were there. The only difference was their all-new partner.

Dr. Z was incredibly powerful. He knew an arsenal of powerful attacks, including Signal Beam, the powerful attack that he had used against Team Nightshade. One direct hit from the beam of energy was enough to make most attackers fall.

He also knew an attack called Tri Attack, which had a chance of burning, paralyzing, or freezing the opponent, according to him. It was also a very powerful attack, and its power seemed to be buffed at times.

Dr. Z explained that this "buffness" was due to his "ability", Adaptability. Sometimes it gave his Normal type moves a boost in power.

"Don't worry, you two! You have abilities as well! Miss Brandt, you have an ability called Blaze, which will boost the power of your Fire type attacks if you're under pressure," Dr. Z explained.

Cindy nodded. Now her huge spurts of flame made sense; it was all part of some sort of natural ability she had. That just was one more perk about being a Pokémon.

"Don't worry! Mr. Phoenix, you have an ability just like hers, except it works with your Water type moves instead of Fire type moves. Cool, huh?" Dr. Z explained.

Phoenix grinned and puffed up his chest proudly. "Yeah! Man, you sure are a knowledgeable doctor!" he complimented.

"Thank you," Dr. Z said bashfully, straightening his glasses.

They didn't have time for further discussion, as right then, a Butterfree swooped down from a tree, bent on attacking them. As expected, Cindy took it out with one direct Flame Wheel.

They didn't talk much for the rest of their journey.

Finally, just as the sky was starting to turn dark, Cindy pushed through a bush and found herself outside the dungeon. The long dirt path stretched all the way to the sprawling metropolis of Center City.

"Hey! Guys! We're here! Center City's just up ahead!" she called to her companions, beckoning them to join her.

Phoenix burst out of the woods, pausing to pick a burr off his wing. He squinted forward at the haze of the city before him and grinned.

"Finally! We're finally home! Just in time for bed, too!" he said.

"Ah, don't forget about your promise! You said you'd stick around for my meeting!"

Dr. Z emerged from the woods, pausing to adjust his glasses, which were sliding down his beak. He only had a few scratches on him, but instead of blood oozing out from his wounds, black liquid gushed out, like oil.

"Oh yeah. Sorry, I forgot about that," Phoenix said, looking embarrassed.

"Don't worry! I was so preoccupied with exploring I nearly forgot about it myself!" Cindy said with a small chuckle. Phoenix chuckled back.

"Anyway, let's get going. I don't wanna waste any time!" Phoenix said.

He dashed down the path as fast as his tiny yellow feet could manage, Cindy following close behind him. Dr. Z, however, out-sped them all. He streaked forward at twice the speed of sound, a slight grin on his blue beak.

One short sprint later, the trio arrived, panting, in Center City.

Cindy and Phoenix were finally home.

All Cindy wanted to do was go to Phoenix's house and flop down on her straw bed. She was tired from the rush the day had brought, but she held true to Dr. Z's word. She began to follow him into the main square.

As they walked through the town, Cindy noticed that the town had changed in the short week they were gone. There seemed to be an even more excited atmosphere to the city, and as Cindy passed by Team Psykitties, she could catch a few tidbits of their excited conversation.

"—Team Aura!" Meow said excitedly.

"Seriously?! You mean that Riolu and his partner, the Chikorita? The ones that saved the world a few years back?" Stick asked.

"Emile and Jade: the dream team! I heard that they're coming tomorrow!" Meow said.

"That would be nice to meet a famous exploration team like them…" Stick mused.

"Now now, Miss Brandt, don't get caught up in their conversation! We have work to do!"

Dr. Z's voice brought her back from Meow and Stick's gossipy talk.

"Sorry. It's just… I… know Team Aura! I… er, want them to come here. Sorry," Cindy lied. She wasn't as smooth of a liar as Zoroark was, but if Dr. Z questioned her claim, he didn't show it.

_Hmm… Team Aura… _The name seemed vaguely familiar to her…

_ Oh! Katie mentioned them a little while back…_

Katie's words came back to Cindy:

_ "There are rumors that the leader of the team, Emile, is a human that has turned into a Pokémon…"_

Cindy could feel her heart hammering. Now would be her chance: if Emile did end up visiting Center City tomorrow, she could ask him about his transformation into a Riolu. Maybe she'd get some clues about her transformation into a Cyndaquil…

_Gosh. Now I can't wait until tomorrow…_

"Oof!"

Cindy had been so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed Phoenix standing right in front of her. She accidentally bumped right into the penguin, nearly knocking him into Dr. Z.

Cindy grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Phoenix," she said.

"No problem. Just watch where you're going next time!" he said playfully. They both shared a smile.

"So! Here we are: the city square! You just sit tight here, let me go get Nurse Blissey…" Dr. Z hovered over to the Blissey Health Institute and pushed its pink doors open, eager to find the nurse. Cindy and Phoenix were alone.

Phoenix looked over at Cindy, his face bright with excitement. "Team Aura's coming tomorrow?! That's awesome! I can't wait! They're one of my favorite exploration teams, besides Dr. Z, of course!"

"Yeah," Cindy agreed, though she was really only half listening to Phoenix's words.

"Hey…" Phoenix's voice dropped to a whisper. "You did know that the leader, Emile, may have once been a human too, right? Maybe he might have some information about your transformation."

"Yeah…" Cindy agreed halfheartedly.

Before they could talk more, a Gabite raced up to them, worry in his eyes. He lacked the sunglasses that reflected their faces.

"You two! Do you know where Dr. Z is?" he asked.

"Yeah. He went to go find Nurse Blissey in the Blissey Health Institute. He was going to make an announcement—" Phoenix began.

"Yes. About the Pokérus virus. I know. Officer Garchomp was gonna come here too, but he's still trying to calm the situation in Mead Village down. So I'm here as his stand-in." He glanced around the square, examining each and every one of the Pokémon still bustling about. Then he turned to the Blissey Health Institute.

"Thanks," he said. He sped off toward the pink building, leaving Cindy and Phoenix alone again.

Examining the square, Cindy could've sworn that a new building had been constructed since their departure. It looked about as big as the Kecleon Shop, and it appeared to be made of metal the glinted slightly in the dying sunlight. It was too dark to make out more than that.

Cindy didn't really think about it too much. If it was a new shop, they'd visit it tomorrow.

After a few minutes of waiting, Dr. Z appeared from the Blissey Health Institute with Nurse Blissey following close behind. The doctor took a double take when he saw the Gabite as opposed to Officer Garchomp.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Junior Officer Gabite, Officer Garchomp's assistant. He unfortunately couldn't make it, he's still trying to… calm the situation down in Mead Village. I'm here to represent him," he explained.

Cindy noticed that he seemed to pause as he said "calm the situation down".

"Ah. I see. Well, then, shall we get started?" Dr. Z asked.

"Sure! I'm ready when you are," Nurse Blissey said.

Dr. Z cleared his throat, demanding attention. "Citizens of Center City! I have a very important announcement to make!" His voice seemed to be louder, somehow magnified.

The few Pokémon milling around stopped and turned their attention to the doctor.

"What's going on?" Stick asked.

"Is this some sort of test?" the green Kecleon asked.

"All of you, come to the city square immediately! I must tell you something!" Dr. Z demanded.

There was a pause. Everyone seemed to be considering if paying attention to the doctor was a good thing. He had a strange voice, and his sudden demand for attention was somewhat perplexing. But eventually, Meow and Stick filed into the square. They were followed by the Kecleons, Kangaskhan from the Kangaskhan Storage, Liepard, and a few more resident Pokémon.

Soon the entire population was in the square.

Cindy scanned over the crowd, looking for Team Eeveelution, who still hadn't shown their faces. She panicked when she saw that they were still nowhere to be found.

_Don't worry, they're probably just lost… We only got here this early because Dr. Z was helping us… _she chided herself.

That still didn't make her calm, though.

"Ahem!"

Dr. Z cleared his throat, demanding attention from the softly murmuring Pokémon. They all stopped their chattering and turned to the Porygon-Z.

"Thank you!" he said. He scanned over the crowd, making sure everyone had their attention on him.

"I am Dr. Z, the world's leading expert on diseases and plagues. It's a jolly good pleasure to meet all your smiling faces!" he said jovially.

A few Pokémon gave the doctor weak grins, still unsure about him.

"Now, as I'm sure you all know, there have been many cases about a strange and deadly virus sweeping the world. I have dubbed it Pokérus. After many months of extensive work, I have concluded many things about this mysterious virus that I wish to share with you on this fine day!" he continued.

There was a small pause.

"Okay! Now, I have discovered many symptoms of this terrible disease. Just warning you: this disease is not only deadly, it's also disgusting…" Dr. Z winced. "Trust me, my explanation is not for the faint of heart. Cover your ears if you do not wish to hear about it."

Almost instantly, Meow covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. Many other Pokémon did the same. Only a brave few had their ears unplugged, Cindy included.

"You all ready? Okay. Great." Dr. Z took a breath and steadied himself before launching into an explanation.

"Now, Pokérus takes a long time to show its symptoms. Once you're infected, you won't notice it for a while. About a month after you're infected, you may have abnormally high temperatures. You may have a few minor fevers, but nothing very big…"

Cindy shuddered, barely resisting the urge to scream. When she had first turned into a Pokémon, she woke up with a fever… did that mean that she was infected?

"Yes. But then, conditions will worsen. Your vision may become blurry, and dizzy spells and hot flashes may become common. A few weeks later… the spots will appear," he said, a grim frown on his face.

Cindy's stomach squirmed. This was the part she had been dreading.

"You may notice a small green or purple bruise on your skin. It will be incredibly itchy, but whatever you do, _do not scratch it_. Scratching it only speeds up the infection," he continued.

A puzzle piece clicked in Cindy's brain. Yesterday, while they were hiking up Snowstorm Summit, they ran into the Beartic that supposedly had the infection…

_It freaked out and tried to swat it away, but that only made it worse…_ Cindy shuddered, not wanting to remember the terrifying incident.

"Even if you don't scratch it, it will continue to spread, turning your body green and purple. Your eyes will swell to the point that you almost can't see, and your tongue will increase in size until you almost can't talk. You will also smell very bad…"

Cindy felt like throwing up. She didn't want to hear anything more. She wanted to run away, go to sleep in her bed, enter the magical world of dreams, forget about everything…

But she knew she couldn't. She had to be strong.

"Your energy will be drained, and… all you can do… is just lie down… and wait. Wait for the end…" Dr. Z concluded.

A disgusted silence fell over the square. Meow let out a sad wail. Kangaskhan sadly shook her head, looking down at the tiny baby in her pouch. A Bibarel actually burst into tears on the spot.

"I know this disease is a terrible and frightful ordeal, but Nurse Blissey knows of many ways to avoid this disease! If you will, my dear?" Dr. Z turned to Nurse Blissey and nodded. The nurse stepped in front of him, clearing her throat.

"Thank you, doctor. Even though we are in times of stress, we should remain as calm as possible. Worry will take us nowhere but down. I beg of you: even though things are really hectic now, _just remain calm_," she said.

The Pokémon in the square applauded happily. A few gave out brave whoops or cries.

"You can avoid getting infected by this disease if you follow these simple steps. One: don't go poking around in unsanitary places. You never know if there might be disease-carrying germs there."

A few Pokémon, obviously exploration teams, groaned at this announcement. In fact, one Pokémon, a vicious looking Skarmory, proceeded to fling several insults at the nurse. She simply waved them off and continued speaking.

"Two: if you spot an infected Pokémon, let me, Junior Officer Gabite, or Dr. Z know _immediately_. The doctor will be staying in town for the next few weeks to research the disease, and he will answer any questions you have about the Pokérus disease."

This piece of advice was met a little more kindly. Pokémon nodded grimly and glanced around at each other, trying to determine if their companions had the disease.

"Three—and I cannot stress this enough—_stay calm_. Like I said earlier, worry will take us nowhere but down. We have to stay calm. Even if you are infected—which I hope will not happen to any of you—I beg of you to stay calm. Present yourselves to me or Dr. Z, try not to come in contact with anyone, and we'll take care of the rest," she completed.

Her final word of advice was met with a great round of applause. Everyone cheered and whooped, glad to be in such good hands. In fact, the nurse's words were so convincing that Cindy nearly believed them to be true…

"Any final words, doctor?" Nurse Blissey asked.

"Nope. You've pretty much covered everything I wanted to say!" he said.

"Very well!" Nurse Blissey smiled and patted the round white egg in her pouch. "You are all dismissed. Have a good evening!"

XxX

**And on that happy note, it's time to end this chapter. I think you'll like the next chapter a lot, which is why I'm gonna make you wait for it. Mwahaha.**

**And yes, I know that Pokérus is a disease that you can actually get in the main series Pokémon games. In the games, it's beneficial, but here... not so much.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review!**


	17. Human-Turned-Riolu

**Aw man, I bet you've all been waiting for this chapter. This is it: Team Aura's guest appearance.**

**If you aren't familiar with Team Aura, I would recommend checking out my other PMD story, ****_Follow Your Heart_****. Trust me, the characters will make more sense if you read that first.**

**But not everything is rainbows and lollipops here. The last bit of the chapter gets really dark...**

**On that happy note, please enjoy.**

Chapter 17: Human-Turned-Riolu

Cindy woke up on her comfortable bed of straw, feeling quite refreshed. It felt like she hadn't gotten a proper sleep in ages, though they had only been gone for about a week.

She grabbed her Yellow Bow, tying it tightly around her neck. She lugged her Explorer Bag up, noting the weight of the burlap sack. It was almost too much for the bag to handle; a few seams were starting to rip apart.

_It's probably because of the Lost Loot, _Cindy thought nonchalantly. _I guess we're gonna have to drop it off at the Kangaskhan Storage, because I do not wanna lug it around with us all day._

She woke up the shoring Phoenix, bidding him a good morning and giving him a red apple from her bag. He chowed down happily, expressing his gratitude in between bites of fruit.

_He certainly is hungry… _Cindy thought offhandedly.

"So!" Phoenix said, swallowing the last bite of apple. "What's the plan? Today's our first day back from Mead Village, and even though I'm tired, I still wanna go exploring!"

"I don't really have a plan. Hmm… Maybe we should check out what's new around town? We've been gone for a week; surely things have changed," Cindy said.

_And if Meow's rumors are correct, Emile, the human-turned-Riolu should be here…_

"That sounds like a great plan! I think I noticed a new shop when Dr. Z was giving his speech," Phoenix pointed out.

"Yeah! So let's explore the city again. Maybe we'll find something cool!" Cindy said.

Phoenix tossed the apple core onto the ground and ambled over to the door, humming excitedly like a little kid. Cindy followed him.

XxX

It felt like she was exploring Center City for the first time. Many things were different. Different Pokémon roamed the streets, mingled in with the familiar faces. The atmosphere to the town was still bright and happy, though beneath the cheerfulness rested a much darker feeling. The feeling… of death.

A new shop had indeed been built during their time away. It was a large, shiny steel box that looked like many pieces of scrap metal had been welded together. A messily carved wooden plank hung over the box. It took a moment to decipher, though as far as Cindy knew, it said "Team Chompy's Discount Berries". Three strange Pokémon were crammed in the shabby shop.

One of them was a tiny figure that vaguely reminded Cindy of a human. It had arms, legs, and a normal head with mischievous red eyes, but its "hair" was the truly bizarre thing about it. It looked like a ponytail at first glance, but further examination revealed that the "ponytail" was a crocodile head with razor-sharp teeth. It was a Mawile.

Mawile was dwarfed in comparison to the two other Pokémon crammed into the booth. They were both built like giants and were easily three times bigger than Mawile.

One of them was red, with yellow markings on its chest. A few tufts of red and yellow hair were combed on its head, and its arms were yellow. However, upon closer inspection, Cindy could see the tubular shape of the arms, making it look like two cannons had been tied to it. It was a Magmortar.

The other Pokémon was similar to Magmortar. Its shaggy body was mainly yellow with a few black markings on its chest and arms. Two yellow "antennae" were on its head. Two long black "ropes" that resembled wires were on its back. It was an Electivire.

Cindy approached the rickety building cautiously, unsure of what it was all about. The Mawile behind the counter perked up when she saw the young Cyndaquil approaching.

"Why, hello there, sweetheart! How are you today?" she asked, her voice sporting a strange, country-ish accent.

"Er… good. Are you… the storeowners here?" she asked.

"Certainly! We're Team Chompy: I'm the leader, and Magmortar and Electivire here are my loyal followers. We don't really explore much anymore, but we have turned out a great business selling berries for a discounted price!" Mawile said.

"Yeah! You can spend up to 50 Poké on only one Oran Berry at the Kecleon Shop! Ooh, that's a lot of money!" Magmortar said, lowering his voice conspiratorially.

"Um, that's—" Cindy began.

"Here you can buy all kinds of berries at only half the price that you would pay at the Kecleon Shop! What a great deal!" Electivire said.

"In fact, for first-time customers, we'll give you one Oran Berry for free!" Mawile said.

She turned around and began digging in a sack that was partially hidden behind Magmortar's enormous red body. She produced a blue Oran Berry from the sack and placed it on the counter in front of Cindy.

Cindy examined the berry closely, slightly suspicious of such a great offer. As the saying went, "there's no such thing as a free lunch". In fact, as she examined the berry closer, she could see something was… off about it. It looked slightly discolored, as if it wasn't ripe.

She pushed the berry back to Mawile, shaking her head. "No, we're fine. We already have enough Oran Berries to last us—"

"No!" Mawile gasped, staring at the berry in horror. "I insist! Take it!" She pushed it back towards Cindy.

"No, we're fine, thanks…" Phoenix spoke up.

"I'll even throw in a free Chesto Berry! Just take it!" Mawile was practically screaming by now.

She dug around in the sack again and pulled out a dark blue berry that was presumably a Chesto Berry. Something about the new berry was off as well.

Cindy knew it was no use trying to argue, so she begrudgingly picked up the berries and shoved them in a side pocket.

"Thank you for doing business with us. Come again soon!" Mawile said, regaining her cheerful mood.

Cindy and Phoenix left without saying a word.

Once they were far enough away from the shop, Cindy took the berries out of her bag. She didn't hesitate to torch them with Ember. She had a bad feeling about the berries, and she didn't want to ever have to take a bite out of them.

"Stupid pieces of garbage. They won't be at all useful during explorations," she murmured as she brushed the ashes off her hand. They scattered on the wind and blew away.

"Agreed. Let's never go back there again," Phoenix agreed.

The duo continued their shopping spree in the town, all the while steering clear of Team Chompy's Discount Berries.

Soon, they were all finished shopping, the money in their bag practically gone.

"So, do you wanna go exploring?" Phoenix asked.

"Sure," Cindy said, glancing over at the nearby Job Board. She was about to lead the way to the board, but before she could even take a step, two Pokémon walked up to the board and began scanning over it.

The first Pokémon vaguely reminded Cindy of a jackal. Its body was mainly covered in shaggy blue and black fur. It stood on two black legs. It had two long arms that hung by its side, and a blue tail wagged on its back. Its head was long and doglike, with two pointy ears sticking straight up. Cindy recognized it as a Riolu.

The Pokémon next to it was much simpler than the Riolu. It was a light shade of green, and it stood on four stubby legs. A "necklace" of green dots lined its neck. A long, green leaf hung on its head. It was a Chikorita.

Cindy approached the duo and caught a few snippets of their conversation.

"—the Kecleon Shop," the Chikorita was saying. Her voice was obviously female, though it had a somewhat sassy edge to it.

"We've already been there, Jade. We're not going shopping, we're going exploring," the Riolu said. His voice was obviously male.

"Sheesh, Emile! I know! I was just pointing it out!" the Chikorita snapped.

Cindy's heart skipped a beat. The Chikorita had called her companion a name… Emile.

_ Isn't that the name of…? Yeah! It's him! The leader of Team Aura! The human-turned-Pokémon is here!_

Cindy turned to Phoenix and mouthed "It's Team Aura!" Phoenix's eyes widened.

She pointed at herself, then pointed at Emile, mouthing "I should ask him." Phoenix nodded.

Cindy took a deep breath and cleared her throat, approaching the duo cautiously. "Um… Excuse me, but could we please see the Job Board?" she asked politely.

Emile and his partner (Cindy assumed her name was Jade) turned to her. It was quite intimidating, being stared down by two advanced explorers, but their facial expressions were king enough.

"Oh? Are we in your way? We're sorry," Emile apologized.

Cindy's eyes widened, pretending surprise. "Oh my goodness! Are you Team Aura?!" she cried.

"Yep! That's us. I'm Emile, and she's Jade. Nice to meet you!" Emile said.

"Great! I'm Phoenix, and this is my partner, Cindy. We're Team Blaze, a rising star in the world of explorers!" Phoenix introduced.

"Nice to meet you! I hope we can be friends someday," Cindy said, extending out a hand for the explorers to shake.

"I hope so too. You guys seem like nice Pokémon, and we don't want to pass up the chance to meet some new friends!" Jade said brightly.

"Let us know if the world needs saving again, because we'd be happy to assist you in doing so," Emile said, a slight smile stretching across his doglike face.

He grabbed Jade's arm and began to lead her away from the Job Board.

Cindy acted quickly, not wanting Team Aura to leave yet. She wanted answers. She started after him, frantically waving her arms about.

"Wait! Don't go! I have a question for you!" she blurted out.

Emile and Jade turned around, quite confused. "Hm? What's up?" Emile asked.

"Well, um… See, we've heard rumors about you guys… Is it true that you were once a human, Emile?" Cindy asked.

Emile didn't answer right away. She could tell this was a sensitive subject for him. She hastily stuttered an apology, backing up to Phoenix as her face turned red.

"I'm sorry… I was just…" Cindy said.

"No, no, it's fine." Emile glanced around, checking to see if the coast was clear. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Yeah, it's true. I was a human… but there was an… accident, and I became a Riolu…"

"Oh." Cindy nodded.

"It's been pretty weird. I mean, I feel so… alone, like there's no one else here who knows my pain…" Emile mused.

Cindy's stomach lurched. She wanted so badly to talk about her transformation…

"Er… Emile? Can we talk about this… in private?" she asked cautiously.

"Sure…" Emile replied uncertainly. He motioned for Jade to stay with Phoenix, and he led Cindy away.

They walked a little ways down the path to Rocky Outcrop so they could speak in private. Emile glanced around to make sure they were alone on the rocky path, and then he began to speak.

"So… what's up?" he asked.

"You know what you were saying earlier… about being a human?" she asked.

"Yeah…" he said slowly.

"And you were saying that you felt so alone? About not having another human-turned-Pokémon to talk to?" she continued.

"Yeah," Emile said, nodding slowly.

"Well..."

Cindy bit her lip and looked down at the ground, feeling somewhat embarrassed. She was tempted to just say "Forget it" and walk away, but she knew she had to continue talking. Emile was her friend, or at least, he would soon be her friend. She felt that she could trust him with anything.

"I... I'm actually... I was once a human too," Cindy murmured, looking at the ground in shame.

Emile gasped, his jaw dropping. He was clearly surprised by her news. "Y-you... You're... a human...?" he stammered.

"Yeah. Or at least, I was. Then... I woke up somewhere with no memory, and then I met Phoenix, and then we've just been going on from there," she explained.

Emile's already shocked expression turned even more surprised. "Holy Arceus. That's exactly what happened to me. I woke up on a beach with no memory, and then I met Jade, and then we formed an exploration team, and I've been exploring ever since," he said, gaping at Cindy in awe.

There was a long pause. Emile gazed into Cindy's squinted eyes while Cindy gazed at Emile's auburn eyes. They held this gaze for quite a while.

After several somewhat awkward moments of staring at each other, Emile finally spoke up.

"So... have you told anyone?" he asked. "You know... about you being a human?"

"Nope. Well, I have told Phoenix, and I guess now... I've told you..." she responded.

"Is it okay if I tell Jade, my partner? She really helped me along when I was like that," he asked.

"Sure. Just don't tell anyone else unless you absolutely have to," Cindy said, making the last few words very clear and firm.

"No problem. Thanks, Cindy," Emile said, patting her on the shoulder.

"Sure," she said.

Emile led the way back down the path.

After a few minutes of walking down the path, chitchatting idly, they reached Center City. Phoenix and Jade were play fighting, Jade attacking with the leaf on her head while Phoenix weakly spat bubbles on her. It was obvious that Jade was going to be the winner if it was a real battle.

"Oh. Hey. You're back," Phoenix said.

"What was that all about?" Jade asked.

Emile leaned in close and whispered into Jade's ear. Her eyes widened as he whispered.

Phoenix looked at Cindy and mouthed "You told him?" She nodded. Phoenix nodded as well.

Emile leaned away from Jade, who was staring, slack-jawed, at Cindy. "You're a hu—"

Phoenix raced up to Jade and slapped his wing over her mouth. "Shush! Don't tell the whole world! Imagine if it gets out—that would be terrible!"

Jade swatted Phoenix away. "Well, excuse me, princess."

"Can we just forget about this? If this is gonna be an issue, you can answer to my Flame Wheel attack," Cindy said, slightly annoyed by Jade's sassiness.

"Yes!" Phoenix agreed.

"Okay. I'm sorry and all that. Now, can we just get on with our day?" Jade said.

"Sure!" Emile turned to Cindy and Phoenix, a smile on his face. "Hey, Cindy… thanks for telling me about your transformation. We'll talk more about it later, okay?"

"Okay," Cindy agreed.

"Well, bye then!" Emile said as he tore a note off the Job Board. He scanned over it, and after a moment's hesitation, he set off down the path to Rocky Outcrop.

"See you later, guys. Don't get your heads eaten by that Mawile," Jade said smugly.

"Jade! Come on! We don't have all day!" Emile called.

Jade playfully smirked at the duo. "Bye," she said. Then she charged down the path after her partner, gleefully singing all the way.

"Well! Those guys seemed pretty nice," Phoenix observed.

"Yeah… I can't believe Emile really once was a human…" Cindy mused.

"Neither can I…" Phoenix said, staring into the distance at the blue and green dots that were gradually getting smaller. Cindy blinked once, and they were gone, disappeared behind a rock.

"Anyway, let's get back to exploring. There's work to do!"

Cindy turned back to the Job Board and began to peruse it for a suitable job.

XxX

The rest of their day passed uneventfully. They went to rescue a Kabuto, who had gotten lost in Garden Grotto. They were paid a fair amount of money for their efforts, and just as a bonus, they also received a Big Apple. But by far the most fulfilling reward was Kabuto and his partner, Omanyte, smiling.

Cindy yawned as she tucked away the pile of Poké in her bag. "I'm tired. Can we go back home?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Sure! I'm getting tired too…" Phoenix also yawned.

"Thanks again for saving my partner!" Omanyte thanked them again.

"Any time!" Phoenix said warmly.

Omanyte and Kabuto inched away through the city, looking for their home. Soon they were lost in the twilit darkness.

Phoenix yawned. "Let's get back home. I'm exhausted."

"Agreed," Cindy said.

Cindy and Phoenix began the long journey home to the residential district, but she didn't get very far before she spotted several familiar faces.

Katie, Grant, and Travis were standing by Team Chompy's store, grinning wildly when they saw Team Blaze approaching. Katie ran up to the duo without hesitation, Grant and Travis following close behind.

"Hey, guys! How's it going?" Katie asked.

"Great! How's it going with you?" Phoenix asked.

"It's going good!" Travis reported.

"Sorry for taking so long to get here. The Gabites led us off in the wrong direction at first, and when we finally got back on track, we ran into Team Nightshade…" Katie apologized.

"You did?! Oh, are you okay? Did they steal anything from you?" Phoenix asked.

"Well, yeah. They almost made off with our whole Explorer Bag, but luckily, Travis blasted them with a Flamethrower to the face. Great job, Tray-Tray!" Katie said, a hint of a teasing smile on his face.

Travis screamed. "SHUT UP! I TOLD YOU A MILLION TIMES NOT TO CALL ME THAT!"

"Calm down! Freaking out is Grant's responsibility, not yours!" Katie said through a fit of giggles.

"Huh? What?" Grant looked up. He had been compulsively straightening his Defense Scarf.

"I said, freaking out is your responsibility, not Travis's!" Katie said playfully.

At first, Grant was enraged at this statement, but Travis, Katie, Cindy and Phoenix all descended into bales of laughter, and Grant couldn't stay angry at them. He too joined them in laughing.

However, their laughing was abruptly cut short when Cindy noticed something. A tiny dark spot was on Grant's right paw. It could've been mistaken for an insect or another small creature, but Cindy knew better.

Cindy slowly backed up, earning herself confused looks from her friends.

"Cindy? What's up?" Phoenix asked.

"G-Grant…" Cindy pointed to his blemished paw with a shaking hand.

"What? Do I have something on my paw—what the—?!"

The small spot on his paw was no insect, no piece of trash. It was something much worse than either of those.

Grant had Pokérus.

He went berserk when he saw the spot, frantically trying to swat it off. Instead of getting smaller, the blemish only spread until his entire leg was covered. Katie and Travis backed away from the Umbreon, screaming, "He has Pokérus! He has Pokérus!" at the top of their lungs. Neither of them appeared to be infected, but Cindy didn't want to take any chances.

"Let's get out of here before it really gets crazy," Cindy murmured.

"Agreed."

A small crowd was starting to form around Team Eeveelution, but they were all shooed away by Dr. Z and Nurse Blissey. Soon the entire city square had descended into madness, Pokémon running around, trying to get away from the infected Pokémon.

"I'm sorry, guys!" Phoenix screamed as he raced towards the residential district, Cindy following close behind him. "I'm sorry! Forgive me! Please!"

Soon, the duo was safely barricaded inside Phoenix's home, with nothing but the echoes of the chaotic town square to lull them to sleep.

_ Katie… Travis… Grant… please… be safe…_

XxX

**NOOOOOOOO GRANT!111!1!1  
**

***sniff***

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review...**


	18. An Invitation

**Meh. This was probably my least favorite chapter to write. It's nothing more than a filler chapter. Not too great.**

**Eh, whatever. I hope you enjoy this chapter, I guess.**

Chapter 18: An Invitation

Dr. Myers examined the comatose form of Cindy Brandt. She looked just the same as she had yesterday: lying on her hospital gurney, her chest slowly rising and falling, oblivious to the world around her. She looked quite peaceful in this state.

Nearly a week had passed since he had discovered Cindy's coma. Every day, her parents had come to check on their child, only to leave, sobbing, when the doctor reported no change.

However, this statement wasn't entirely truthful. It was true that Cindy hadn't awoken from her coma, but sometimes she'd stir in her sleep, as if she was about to wake up. He would always watch with bated breath, hoping for her to awaken, but he'd sigh in defeat when she continued to rest.

That wasn't all. Sometimes, her eyes would flutter, as if she was in the REM state of sleep. One time, she even let out a small moan.

She still didn't rise from her coma, however.

Every day, Dr. Myers would wake up and check on Cindy, praying for her to wake up. Every evening, he'd go to bed, his head full of sadness and regret.

But he still didn't give up hope.

_I swear, one day, I will get her to rise from her coma, _he told himself as he shut the door to Cindy's room. _I won't just let her sit there hooked up to life support for the rest of her days. I will help her. I will do this._

XxX

Cindy woke up, shivering in a cold sweat. Her eyes stung and her neck was cramped. She was utterly out of energy.

At first, she wondered why she felt so utterly tired. But then she remembered.

Yesterday. Grant. Pokérus. Team Eeveelution ripped apart. Mass chaos.

_Grant… why? Why did it happen to you? Why you? Why…?!_

She closed her eyes and plugged her ears, hoping to block out the world around her. She flopped down on her bed, hoping that everything was all just a dream… She wanted to scream now… Tears streaked down her face… She just wanted to die…

"Cindy? Cindy, are you okay?"

Phoenix was shaking Cindy, trying to wake the young Cyndaquil up from her confused and frightened state.

"Ugh… Grant… no…" Cindy held up her arm, trying to shoo him away, but Phoenix continued to shake her, eventually resorting to dragging her up and out the door.

She tried to occupy herself with exploring that day, but nothing could push the memory of Grant out of her head.

XxX

Other than that unfortunate incident, life continued as normal in the Pokémon world. Cindy would wake up, rouse Phoenix, go into the business district, buy some things, pick out a job, and explore. Most days were normal for the budding Team Blaze.

They did find some times for leisure, however. They took some time to talk with Team Aura and some other Pokémon in Center City. They really wanted to talk to Team Eeveelution and check in on Grant, but according to Nurse Blissey, no one was allowed in her institute except doctors and patients.

The situation in Center City was getting worse. Every day, there were more Pokérus cases. More and more Pokémon were getting sick, and rumor said that the Blissey Health Institute was filling up fast.

"So, if yer gonna get sick, yeh might as well do it while you can. Yeh never know; tomorra' they migh' not 'ccept ya!" a scurvy sounding Kingler said gruffly.

Cindy tried to push the disease out of her mind, trying to focus on exploring instead. But so many Pokémon were talking about it that it was nearly impossible to avoid discussions about Pokérus. Plus, there was the haunting memory of Grant, who was suffering because of the deadly virus…

"Cindy! Cindy, did you hear me?"

Phoenix's excited voice snapped her out of her thinking. He was frantically pointing ahead at a blue and green figure in front of him: Emile and Jade.

"Huh? What?" Cindy said, her head snapping around.

"I said, would you like to come to our room at the Talented Tavern? We talked to the receptionist at the hotel, and she said that we'd be able to let you in," Emile repeated slowly, enunciating every syllable clearly.

"Oh!" Cindy jumped at the suggestion, her face going red.

She had always wanted to go to one of the high-end hotels, and now she finally had the chance. But something held her back. She may have simply been embarrassed, or maybe it was something else, but she didn't immediately agree.

"Um… Are we just gonna… talk?" Cindy asked.

Emile shrugged. "Sure, I guess. We'll show you around and talk, maybe have a snack or something. That's what we're planning, I guess."

Phoenix nodded vigorously. "Yes! Of course we will! I'd love to be able to know my idols better!" he cried.

Jade stepped back, her face slightly pale. "Er… yeah. That's great."

"What about you, Cindy? Do you wanna go in?" Phoenix asked, jumping up and down excitedly.

By now, Cindy had overcome her mild embarrassment, and when Phoenix asked if she wanted to go, she didn't hesitate to nod and say "Yes."

He let out a squeal of excitement and hugged Cindy out of pure ecstasy. "YESSSSS! Thank you thank you thank you thank you _thank you!_ I'm soooo excited that I finally get to meet my favorite explorers! Thank you, Cindy! Thank you so—"

A playful slap to Phoenix's face made him stop his mindless blabbing. "We're not gonna get anything done if we just stand here and stutter our thanks. We should get going!"

"I'm sure you'll love it there. There are a bunch of legendary Pokémon in there! In fact, the receptionist, Lady Mew, is a legendary herself! There's also a Terrakion, and there have even been whispers about Latios and Latias visiting, but we haven't seen either of them," Jade said.

"Sweet. I wanna meet some legendary Pokémon." Of course, Cindy didn't know about what a "legendary Pokémon" was, but judging by the shocked look on Phoenix's face, they were pretty impressive.

"You do? Well, that's just great! Follow us, and prepare to be awed!" Emile said, racing over to a tall, five-story building that was presumably Talented Tavern.

The tavern, like the rest of the buildings around it, was made of wood and leaves, and it was held together by vines. A few glass windows dotted the sides of the buildings, and a wooden door was built in front. A sign reading "Talented Tavern—For Only the Best!" was tacked up above the doorway.

Emile led Team Blaze up to the door, pausing before it. He turned to his companions, a steely look on his face. "Now, strictly speaking, you two aren't supposed to be in here. Lady Mew has made an exception for today, but that's not saying the other teams in there will take so kindly to you. If you are provoked in any way, don't lash back at them. I'll explain everything. Is that clear?" he said.

"Yeah," Cindy murmured, nodding. Phoenix mirrored her action, also nodding.

"Great! Now let's hurry up. We don't have all day, and I'm starting to get hot out here. Let's get going already, Emile," Jade said, tapping her foot impatiently.

Emile grumbled something under his breath and pushed the wooden door open, leading the way into the tavern.

Once Emile opened the door to the tavern, a beautiful sight met the explorer's eyes. The main lobby was gigantic—much bigger than even the lobby in Aroma Inn.

It was quite gorgeous. The floor was made of wooden boards, but it was mostly covered up by a large, fuzzy rug that was a deep shade of crimson. The walls were also dyed a brilliant crimson color.

The center of the room was dominated by a large stone fountain that was gurgling crystalline water. A Starmie (a purple Pokémon that resembled a starfish with a crystal red core) was hovering very close to the fountain.

In the corner of the room was the reception desk, which was made of dark mahogany wood. A pink cat with wide blue eyes (Cindy recognized it as a Mew) hovered behind the desk.

The Mew smiled as Emile approached her. "Why, hello there, Emile! How is your morning?" she asked.

"Pretty good. Team Blaze is here!" he replied.

Jade led Cindy and Phoenix over to the Mew. "Here they are. The Cyndaquil is Cindy, and the Piplup is Phoenix. They're explorers too, and they're pretty good at it too!" she introduced.

Mew studied them, her blue eyes looking into Cindy's squinted ones. "Did you say… Cindy?" she asked.

"Yeah…" Cindy said uncertainly.

"Oh, splendid! I've heard all about you," Mew said with a smile. "Now, you two can stay here for as long as you'd like, as long as you promise to leave by nightfall." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Oh, and watch out for some of the other explorers, especially Terrakion. They don't take kindly to new explorers…"

"Gotcha. Thanks for the advice," Phoenix said.

"Don't mention it," Mew said.

Emile curtseyed at Mew. "See you later, Lady Mew!" he said.

"Bye, Team Aura! Bye, Team Blaze! I hope you enjoy your visit!" Mew said with a wink.

Emile grinned and led Team Blaze to the stairs in the corner of the room.

Team Aura's hotel room was on the fourth floor, meaning that the two teams had to hike up four long flights of stairs to get there. By the time they reached the fourth floor, Cindy's legs were exhausted, even though she had been through worse.

The fourth floor was a long hallway with handsome mahogany doors placed at regular intervals. The wooden paneled floor was carpeted with a thick red carpet like the rest of the hotel. A few Pokémon, such as a Clawitzer and a Flygon, roamed the halls mindlessly.

"So this is it: Talented Tavern. Our room's at the far end of the hall, right next to Terrakion's room. It's pretty cool having a legendary next to us, but he's really grumpy and doesn't like when you insult him," Emile explained as he led the way down the hall.

"Yeah. Even though, I bet I could take him on single-handedly. So could Emile, if he felt like it. We've defeated Legendary Pokémon tons of times during our journeys, so a stupid Rock and Fighting type should be no problem!" Jade said, a confident smirk on her face.

"What did you say about me?"

A new voice, much rougher and deeper than any Cindy had heard, rang out from in front of her. It was distinctly male and gruff, giving off a somewhat sinister quality.

At the far end of the hall, a huge Pokémon had emerged from his hotel room. It was huge, built like an ox: tall, strong, and ill-tempered. In fact, as the new Pokémon lumbered closer, Cindy realized that it was indeed an ox.

Its body was a dark gray color, with a few orange markings on his front two legs. It had two large brown horns on his head, and his expression was one of anger and grumpiness.

Cindy and Phoenix shrunk down to the floor, intimidated by the ox's size and temper. Emile, however, wasn't intimidated by Terrakion, and instead of cowering, he stepped forward to face Terrakion.

"Sorry. We were just telling Team Blaze how much of a weakling you are. Don't mind us," he said coolly.

Terrakion grunted. "Team Blaze? Who're they?" he asked.

He glanced down at Cindy and Phoenix, his face contorting in fury. "Oh, you mean these guys? Are they friends of yours? I can tell just by looking at 'em. Weaklings like them should only hang out with weaklings like you!"

Cindy had only known Terrakion for about a minute, and already she didn't like him.

Jade stepped forward, her face shining with rage. "Listen, mister, you should watch your mouth. If you insult Cindy or Phoenix in front of me again, I'll blast you with my SolarBeam!"

Terrakion faltered for a moment, worried about Jade trying to attack him. He was determined not to let this brief falter show, and he quickly regained his gruff mood.

"Oh no, what are you gonna do? Throw leaves at me? Gahahahaha! That's gonna hurt me a lot!" he guffawed sarcastically.

Cindy stepped forward without thinking. She felt as though she needed to do something, despite her type disadvantage. The fire on her back sputtered, threatening to burst into an inferno at any moment.

Before she could attack, however, Emile and Jade pulled her away from the ox. "Let's go. He's not worth the energy. You shouldn't waste your time with him," Emile said.

He practically had to drag Cindy away from Terrakion. She struggled and screamed profanity at the legendary, but before Terrakion could react, Emile shoved her into Team Aura's room and slammed the door shut.

Their room was so amazing that Cindy forgot all about being angry. Like the rest of the tavern, the walls and carpet were a deep red color. Three huge cotton beds were shoved up against the wall. Two of the beds were messy and unkempt; Cindy assumed they were Emile and Jade's beds. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Several soft armchairs were scattered about the room, and many flourishing plants were growing in the corners.

"Whoa…" Cindy said as she gazed at the beauty of the room. This was by far the most posh room she had been in since her transformation.

"It's so… big…" Phoenix whispered.

"Glad you like it! It sure did cost a pretty penny to get in here, eh, Emile?" Jade said playfully.

Emile pretended he hadn't noticed her speaking.

"Come on, guys! Make yourselves comfortable!" he invited them.

Cindy slowly walked over to a plush armchair and sat down in it, sinking in the fabric. Phoenix sat in a chair next to her. Emile and Jade sat in chairs opposite to Cindy and Phoenix.

"So… what do you want to talk about?" Phoenix prompted.

"I don't really care," Jade said indifferently.

"Well, to be honest, I have a few questions for you guys," Cindy said.

"Sure! We'll answer all the questions to the best of our abilities," Emile said.

"Well… um… Most of the questions I have involve you, Emile… You know, with the whole 'human-turned-Pokémon' stuff…" Cindy said, sinking lower into her chair.

"I'll try to answer your questions, but I still don't know all the details about my transformation," Emile warned.

"Oh, that's okay. Just answer as best as you can," Cindy said.

"Okay. Ask away," Emile said, sitting back in his chair.

"First of all, do you know who turned you into a Pokémon?" Cindy asked.

Emile didn't answer right away. He appeared to be thinking about the answer to his question, but after a minute, he slowly nodded.

"Yeah. It was a really mean Pokémon called Darkrai. He wanted to take over the world, but Jade and I stopped him."

Cindy could tell that he didn't want to elaborate.

"Do you know?" he asked after a short pause.

"Nope," Cindy said.

"Mmm."

"Second question: have you ever gotten the chance to become a human again?" Cindy asked.

Emile was much quicker to answer now. He instantly shook his head. "Nope. I don't even think it's possible to turn back into a human. Well, I guess I could ask Jirachi; he can supposedly grant any wish… But honestly, why would I want to? I love being a Pokémon. I have all these powers that I could only dream of when I was human," he said. "What about you? Have you ever thought about turning back into a human?"

Cindy opened her mouth to answer, but she almost instantly closed it again. She didn't have an answer to his question, now that she thought about it. In a way, she wanted to remain a Pokémon. She had made so many friendships here, and if she went back, she would never see Phoenix again. She could also breathe fire, which was a really awesome ability to her.

But then again… she wanted to go back. Her parents and friends were surely worried about her. Plus, if she went back, she wouldn't have to worry about Pokérus or Team Nightshade or mystery dungeons any more…

Cindy sighed, her mixed up feelings bouncing around inside her like multicolored bouncy balls. She shrugged and let out a small noise of indifference.

"So you don't know? Don't worry. I won't try to pry an answer out of you if you don't wanna answer," Emile said. "Now, Jade on the other hand…"

Jade was enraged, needless to say. "Ex-CUSE me?! WHAT did you say?!"

"Oh, nothing…" Emile said, smiling innocently. "Anyway, anything else you wanna ask me?"

"Well, this next question's for both of you guys… Have you ever thought of evolving?" she asked.

"Nope! I like myself just the way I am. I'm sure Emile agrees with me too," Jade said almost instantly.

Emile nodded. "If I ever do have the overwhelming urge to evolve, I guess we could go evolve at Luminous Spring. It's this place where Pokémon go to evolve…"

"Isn't there also a place like that somewhere around here? Like… Luminous Gate, or something like that?" Phoenix asked.

"Oh yeah! If you want to evolve here, you should go to Luminous Gate. I think it's at the top of Mt. Advanced, or something like that… It's a really challenging dungeon, even more challenging than Medicine Forest…" Emile said.

Cindy nodded. She didn't feel like evolving now.

"Anyway, is there anything else you'd like to ask us?" Emile asked.

"Well… This is gonna be a really big request, but can you tell us about how you saved the world? I've always been curious to know," Cindy said.

"You're right, it_ is _a really big request…" Jade said.

"I'll tell you guys later, okay? It's a really long story, and we don't wanna bore you," Emile said.

"Okay…" Phoenix stood up from his chair and began to waddle to the door. "Well, I guess we should get going, should we? We don't wanna bore you by asking so many questions," he said.

Cindy struggled up from her seat and nodded. "Yeah. Sorry for boring you," she apologized.

"Oh, it's okay," Jade said.

"Well… bye then…" Phoenix reached for the door handle…

"Wait! Don't go!"

Emile's sudden cry nearly made Phoenix fall over. He stumbled back with a gasp, eventually regaining his balance and looking at the Riolu.

"Hm?" he asked.

"Oh, um… Jade and I were talking… and considering that you guys are really nice and all, even though we only met a week ago, we were wondering if you could come exploring with us tomorrow! Would you care to come with us?" Emile said.

Phoenix screamed and leapt up into the air excitedly. "YES! Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes YESSSSSSSS! We'd love to come! Thank you! Thank you so much!" he cried.

Jade chuckled at Phoenix's over-the-top reaction. "Heh heh… That's nice that you're so… enthusiastic about exploring with us… But how about we check with Cindy and see if she wants to come too…?" she said.

Cindy nodded without hesitation. "I'm in. I think it would be really cool to explore with you guys. And I'm sure Phoenix would kill me if I refused." She laughed weakly.

"Anyway, we should get going. We still have to do our daily exploration today!" Phoenix said.

"It was great talking with you guys. We'll see you tomorrow, I guess," Cindy said.

"See you by the Job Board tomorrow!" Emile said, waving at the duo happily.

Phoenix turned the knob to the door and led the way out, prancing down the halls excitedly. In his happiness, he trampled a Gengar over. Cindy smiled and shook her head, resisting the urge to laugh. Her partner was so goofy.

She followed him down the hallway, pausing to apologize to the shaken Gengar. She rounded the corner, quickly walking down the stairs…

"Oof! Watch where you're going!"

She had accidentally run over Phoenix, who had paused near the bottom of the stairs. The duo fell to the ground, getting slightly bruised up in the process.

Cindy lugged herself off Phoenix, brushing off some dust and rubbing her head. "Ouch… Why did you stop like that? I was in a hurry, you know!" she cried indignantly as Phoenix pulled himself off the ground.

He rubbed his bruised wing. "Sorry! If you were faced with that thing, you would stop and stare too, wouldn't you?!" He gestured toward the reception desk, where they were met with a most unwelcome sight.

Terrakion, the brutish ox, was standing there, talking to Lady Mew, who was quite intimidated by the large figure. When the duo tumbled down, his attention turned away from the pink cat. He lumbered over to them, his steps shaking the earth below.

"What're you two losers doing? Playing dog-pile? Psh! Dog piles are only for losers… oh, I keep forgetting… you two _are_ losers! Gahahaha!" he guffawed.

"Shut up, or I'll melt that smile off that ugly face of yours," Cindy said bravely, stepping up to face the brute head on.

"Ooh, Miss Fireface wants to say something! Are you finally brave enough to stand up to my awesomeness? As if!" Terrakion said, feigning fear.

"Shut it, Terrakion, or I'll attack you," Lady Mew threatened. She seemed to have finally regained her courage.

"Thank you, Lady Mew. Now, if you don't mind, we'll be leaving now. Talk to you later, Terrakion," Phoenix said pleasantly.

"Gahahahaha! See you later too… if you aren't crushed by those wild Pokémon out there!"

Of course, Terrakion had to get in one last insult before they left.

But nothing could spoil Cindy's surprisingly good mood. She had just finished a pleasant conversation with two friends, she had shown a bully who was boss, and now she was going to explore, something she was great at.

_What's to be sad about? _Cindy thought.

XxX

**The next chapter will be much more exciting than this, I promise.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading this story. Don't forget to review!**


	19. A Flare of Adventure

**This is kind of a rushed chapter, if I do say so myself. It kind of cuts off abruptly at the end, because cliffhangers are my favorite thing. I love to make you guys wait.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, despite its rushed pace.**

Chapter 19: A Flare of Adventure

The rest of Cindy and Phoenix's day went quite well. They ventured out to Rocky Outcrop to save a Darumaka (a round red Fire type Pokémon with large yellow eyebrows and large white eyes) from the Rock type Pokémon there. Cindy was inwardly tired of these simple jobs, but she smiled as she pocketed her reward. (a Violent Seed and an apple) They returned to Phoenix's house just as night fell over the city.

Cindy curled up on her bed of straw and closed her eyes, trying to get to sleep. It had been a long and exciting day, and she could definitely use her energy for tomorrow; they would be exploring with Team Aura.

The only thing that kept her from falling asleep was Phoenix. He was pacing the room, happily humming and singing to himself. Occasionally he would say something along the lines of "I can't wait for tomorrow!" or "I can't sleep. I can't sleep. I'm just too excited for tomorrow." It was cute for a little while, but soon it just started getting old.

Cindy groaned in annoyance and hoisted herself off her bed, walking over to Phoenix. She slapped him across the face. It wasn't a very hard slap, but it got him to stop his "fanboying" over the upcoming exploration with Team Aura.

"Cindy… That hurt!" he protested as he settled in for bed.

"I'm sorry. I just want some peace and quiet. You understand… right?" Cindy asked.

Phoenix rubbed his cheek, which was bruised slightly where she hit him. "Yeah. Sorry for being so crazy. It's just… we're exploring with a super famous exploration team! I'm soooo excited! Surely you're excited too! I mean, they're probably the most famous explorers in the world, besides Team Charm, of course. And there's also Team Raiders, they're really good, too… Oh! There's also Team Millennium…"

Cindy nodded and turned over on her bed so that Phoenix couldn't see her smile. "Here we go again…" she murmured.

XxX

Cindy didn't know how she managed to get sleep. Phoenix's rambling must've zonked her out. Whatever the case, she was awake now.

Next to her, Phoenix was sprawled over his bed in an uncomfortable looking position. He was snoring so loud that it felt like the earth itself was shaking. Occasionally, he'd mumble something in his sleep, something like "Team… Aura… go exploring…"

Cindy chuckled. He looked somewhat comical in this state. But he couldn't stay sprawled over his bed all day; there was exploring to be done. Exploring with a famed exploration team, no less.

She tapped his wing cautiously. At the small touch, he screamed something incomprehensible and sat bolt upright, his head snapping around wildly. "Bluh! T-Team… Emile? Jade? Huh?" he sputtered.

Cindy giggled. "Oh, Phoenix. You look ridiculous. You know that, right?" she said.

Phoenix scratched his head. "Uh… whuh? Um, I mean, yeah. Sure. Ridiculous. Yeah," he said, still quite disoriented.

Cindy ruffled his feathers. "C'mon, Phoenix. Snap out of it! You're gonna have to be more clear-headed if you wanna explore with Team Aura!" she said.

He shook his head and blinked hard, suddenly alert. "Yes! Exploring with Team Aura! Yeah! Let's go! I can't wait!"

He bounced to the door faster than Cindy could say "Riolu".

Cindy couldn't help but smile at Phoenix's silliness. Sometimes he was a great friend that never said "no", but sometimes he was just a big goofball. Now was obviously a "goofball" time.

She ambled out of the door, happily following Phoenix into Center City.

XxX

Their morning started out like any other morning. They went through Center City, checking out the sales at the Kecleon Shop and depositing the rest of their money at Liepard's bank. They talked to some of the other Pokémon in town and basically had another normal morning.

They steered clear of Team Chompy's Discount Berries, which was starting to earn a bad reputation. Any Pokémon who ate the berries there reported feeling very sick afterwards. One Pokémon even came down with Pokérus, though there was still some debate over if it was caused by the berries or something else.

Soon they were all ready for their exploration with Team Aura.

They found Team Aura by the Job Board, scanning over all the requests and occasionally voicing an idea out loud. They gasped, somewhat surprised when Cindy and Phoenix approached them.

"Oh! It's just you. Sorry. My nerves haven't been right today. Terrakion threatened to attack us…" Emile apologized, blushing slightly.

"'Ey! I heard that!" Terrakion, who had emerged from Talented Tavern, had overheard their conversation. Luckily, he didn't attack them.

"Anyway, have you picked out a place to explore?" Phoenix asked.

"We think so. Here."

Emile tore a note off the board and handed it to Cindy and Phoenix. It was a somewhat cryptic note in Cindy's opinion.

_Dear explorers,_

_I am in urgent need of assistance._

_One of my close friends, a young_

_ Treecko, recently went missing in a_

_ dungeon called Mt. Bonfire. Being a_

_ Grass type Pokémon in a Fire type _

_dungeon, he won't last long on his own._

_He is in desperate need of help._

_ Trust me when I say that more than his_

_life is at stake here._

_From, Anonymous_

"What do you think? Does that sound like a suitable job?" Emile asked once they had finished reading over the letter.

"Yeah. It's pretty cryptic, though. I mean, what does the guy mean when he—or she—says 'more than his life is at stake'? And who could've written this letter? So many mysteries!" Phoenix said.

Cindy nodded. "But hey—mystery is an exploration team's middle name!" she said.

Jade smiled in agreement. "So you're okay with going here? You've got all your supplies and everything?" she asked.

"Yep. But hey, quick question: where is Mt. Bonfire?" Phoenix asked.

All eyes fell on Emile, who was expected to know this stuff. He grinned hastily and dug around in his Explorer Bag for something. A moment later, he grabbed a large piece of parchment, presumably a map, and began poring over it.

"Hmm… Right, yes… So we're gonna have to go… yeah…" he murmured to himself.

"Um…" Cindy said.

Emile stashed the map back in his bag and examined his friends. "Okay, team! I know where to go!" he pronounced. "We're gonna have to go down the path leading to Rocky Outcrop. Somewhere, there should be a branching pathway that should lead us straight to Mt. Bonfire!"

"I just hope you don't get us lost. Remember last time when you nearly walked straight into Medicine Forest?" Jade said, a teasing smile on her face.

Emile ignored her.

"You're sure you're ready?" he asked.

"I'm sure! Now let's get on with our exploration! I've been waiting all day for this and I can't wait any longer! Let's go!" Phoenix said impatiently.

"Okay, team! To Mt. Bonfire we go!" Emile said, pumping his fist in the air.

"Yeah!" Cindy, Jade, and Phoenix chorused.

With the human-turned-Riolu in the lead, they set off down the rocky path to the mountain.

XxX

Soon, the flowing green grass and vibrant flowers alongside the dirt path had been replaced with brown-gray dirt and pebbles with sharp edges. Center City was far behind them, and Rocky Outcrop was ahead of them.

"But, of course, we aren't going to Rocky Outcrop. We're going to Mt. Bonfire, which should be just up ahead…" Emile said, his face buried in his map.

"Yeah, yeah, we know. You've only told us a million times now. Do us all a favor and shut up," Jade said.

"Sheesh, she's not really patient," Phoenix whispered to Cindy.

Jade whipped around, her eyes shining with fury. "You'd better watch your beak, mister. Don't go yapping on about me or I'll give you a taste of my Magical Leaf—"

"Both of you, stop arguing," Emile said, lazily waving a paw at them.

Cindy shook her head. _Man, those guys argue about the stupidest things…_

They continued the rest of their walk in silence, though Phoenix and Jade still glared at each other. They were turning out to be very competitive rivals.

After about ten minutes of walking down the rocky pathway, Emile suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Jade nearly ran into him, but she skidded to a stop just before they could collide.

"Hey! What's the big deal, guys? Why did we stop?" Phoenix asked.

"We stopped because we're here, smart one," Jade grumbled.

"What do you mean? I don't see any mountains," Phoenix said, craning his neck for any sign of an elevation.

"Look to your left," Jade said, looking in that direction as she spoke.

"But I don't see any—whoa."

It didn't take Cindy long to figure out what the "whoa" was about.

To their left was a path covered in gray volcanic ash. Dark black rocks littered the path. A few Fire type Pokémon, such as Slugma and Darumaka, wandered the path, looking lost. In the distance, a towering mountain rose out of the ground.

"I'm assuming that's Mt. Bonfire," Cindy guessed.

"According to this map, yeah, that is Mt. Bonfire," Emile said, glancing back and forth between the volcano and his map.

"Sweet! We're almost there, guys. Just keep at it!" Phoenix said with an excited grin.

"Yeah!" Cindy agreed.

With a determined nod, Emile led the teams down the ashy pathway.

They all walked down the gray pathway, occasionally stopping to fend off enemy Pokémon. Phoenix would mow down all the Fire types with no trouble at all. Jade wasn't so great, and she often found herself victim to burns and scorches.

"Don't worry about me, guys. I've dealt with a lot worse than this," Jade assured them as she brushed off a burn.

"Yeah. Remember that time in Dark Crater, when you—" Emile said, the barest hint of a smile stretching across his doglike features.

Jade shuddered, despite the heat. "Don't even remind me of that…"

As the mountain drew closer, the temperature slowly rose to a very high degree. Jade and Emile were panting breathlessly and Phoenix was complaining of the heat, but Cindy didn't seem to feel a thing. Indeed, the air around her was pleasantly warm, not too hot, not too cold.

_I guess this is because of my Fire type… I'm not affected by the heat as much as they are… _she thought with a shrug.

Finally, after a long journey down the ashy pathway, the explorers reached the base of Mt. Bonfire.

The mountain was made of dark brown and black rock, and there were no real pathways up it. Heat shimmered off the sides of the mountain, making Jade nearly pass out. Heavy clouds of smoke hung in the air above the mountain, though the explorers didn't seem to be in any danger of suffocating. The peak of the mountain was cut off like a table, leading Cindy to believe that Mt. Bonfire was a volcano.

"So here we are: Mt. Bonfire," Emile said, craning his neck to the top of the volcano.

"Wow, this is a really nice place to explore. I don't know why we didn't think of this before," Jade said sarcastically. Her sentence ended in a wheeze; she was starting to get overheated by now.

"Don't worry, Jade. We've tackled much worse than this. You said it yourself," Emile reminded her.

"Yeah, but—all right… Let's get this over with…" Jade said, nodding in a defeated way.

"How do we explore this place? Surely we won't have to climb up the edges… do we?" Phoenix asked, peering up towards the top.

Emile shook his head. "No… I think that we're gonna have to go inside the mountain…"

"But how? I don't see any openings in the rock," Cindy said.

Emile circled around the base of the volcano, looking for a possible opening. He occasionally muttered something to himself, something about finding an opening. It was a few minutes before he let out a cry of happiness.

"Hey! Guys! I think I found the entrance to the volcano!" By now Emile was on the other side of the mountain, so they had to hike over to him. When they got over there, they found an opening in the rocks. The temperature ratcheted up several degrees as the explorers inched closer to the opening, though Cindy didn't notice this temperature change.

"So I'm guessing that we're gonna have to go in there, brave high temperatures and Fire type Pokémon, and not fall in the lava… All so we can rescue a Treecko?" Jade guessed.

"Yep! All in a day's work!" Phoenix said brightly.

"You have it easy! You're a Water type! You'll destroy anything in there! I'm gonna have to brave burns and worse!" Jade snapped.

Before the duo could argue more, Cindy wedged herself in between them. "Both of you! Stop! If you're gonna argue about trivial things like this, then you can just leave. Go on! If you're gonna argue, leave!" she snapped. She pointed behind her to the ashy pathway.

Jade gave Phoenix one last incensed stare of hatred, which Phoenix mirrored. Then they nodded. "I'm sorry, your highness. Please forgive us," Jade said.

"And no sarcasm!" Cindy ordered.

"Fine. Fine." Jade looked put out.

"Sorry, Cindy. It's just…" Phoenix said.

"I don't need an explanation. We need to get going. Now. That Treecko depends on us," Cindy said shortly.

"Yeah," Phoenix agreed.

Emile approached the opening in the rock and peered in. After a moment, he looked back out, his head now coated in sweat. "It's really hot in there, and there's a really scary pool of lava at the bottom, but I'm sure we'll all be fine if we just watch our step," he reported.

Phoenix pushed past Emile and peered into the rock. He too recoiled. "Yikes! It's terrible in there!" he cried.

"But we need to persevere. For Treecko," Cindy said.

"Yeah…" Phoenix agreed.

Emile nodded and began to squeeze himself with mild difficulty into the opening. He gestured for his companions to follow. "Are you coming? There's exploring to do!"

Jade, Cindy, and Phoenix squeezed into the hole after Emile, ready to tackle this dungeon head on.

The interior of Mt. Bonfire was a fiery landscape. Dark brown rock closed the explorers in, like an impenetrable net of steel. A rough spiral path lead to the top of the mountain, which was open, revealing the ashen sky. A few Fire type Pokémon roamed the rocky landscape.

The main attraction was the center of the volcano. A huge pool of glowing, red-hot lava was bubbling in the center like a boiling stew. Waterfalls of thick magma was pouring into the steaming mess below. Occasionally, a bubble would appear on the surface of the magma, and when it popped, tiny, searing embers would be spread everywhere.

Needless to say, this environment was also very hot. Within seconds of entering, Jade was complaining about the heat, and Emile and Phoenix were coated in a fine layer of sweat. Cindy was feeling just fine, however. The air around her was pleasantly warm like a sauna, nothing like a volcanic landscape.

"Urk… Let's get this over with before I get fried in here," Jade said wheezily.

Emile nodded as he wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead.

And the four young Pokémon set off on their mission.

Only a few minutes into their exploration, they ran into their first wild Pokémon: a Magmar, the pre-evolution of Magmortar. Magmar resembled a duck to Cindy, with a strange bill on his face. It looked really big and strong, and Jade cowered behind Emile in fear.

Turns out, it was also quite stupid. Instead of attacking Emile or Jade, it decided to attack Cindy with a Fire type attack. It felt like being splashed by a bucket of boiling hot water: it still stung a little, but it was warm and actually somewhat comfortable.

Cindy realized that she couldn't do much damage with her attacks, so she had to resort to simply tackling the beast. Then she got to witness Emile and Jade's fighting style.

Emile leapt at the Magmar, slamming into it with his fist. The Magmar screeched and recoiled, a large bruise on its face where Emile had hit it. Jade leapt at the Magmar and sliced it with the leaf on her head. It was surprisingly effective, and a large gash opened up on its chest. Phoenix finished it off with a BubbleBeam attack. The beast stumbled back and collapsed onto the rocky ground.

Jade grinned. "We're lucky that it didn't attack me. That would've been bad," she said.

"No kidding," Emile agreed.

"Anyway, let's get going. We're not gonna let some stupid duck creature thing stop us!" Phoenix said.

"Yeah!" Cindy said, though she was somewhat lacking in her usual enthusiasm. She felt useless; her Fire type attacks wouldn't hurt the Fire type Pokémon in here. Even Jade was more useful than her.

She shook her head, dislodging the negative thoughts from her head. _Whatever. We should get going. That Treecko needs us._

She grinned and followed Emile, who was once again leading the way.

The next blunder happened a few minutes later. A Darmanitan, the somewhat ape-like evolution of Darumaka, had attacked them. Phoenix's BubbleBeam had been simply swatted aside by its powerful arms. Emile tried to attack it with his Force Palm attack and Jade tried to use Giga Drain, both to no avail. It was still going strong.

The Darmanitan turned to Cindy, who was quite intimidated by its presence. She cowered behind Phoenix, hoping it would not notice her…

It swung its great arm at Cindy, its giant fist cloaked in flame. Her instincts kicked in and she leapt aside to dodge the attack…

The next thing she knew, she was falling through the air, down to the ground far below her… wait. There was no ground below her. Below her was bubbling, boiling lava that spewed out embers and foul gasses.

Cindy knew there was no way out of this. She was going to die. Nobody could survive a plunge into red-hot lava, not even a Fire type such as her. She found herself daydreaming, thinking about all the adventures that she had with Phoenix.

And now… Now they were all over.

"No! Cindy!" Phoenix screamed. She could see his teal wing reaching down, trying to save her, but he couldn't… She was too far down…

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, bracing for her imminent death…

_WHOOSH!_

Cindy could feel herself sinking in the boiling liquid. She was surprised that she had survived the initial impact with the magma, but she would surely die now… now she was in the lava… she was surely dying…

Or was she?

Instead of feeling her skin being burned and her bones being charred, she felt… pleasantly warm, as if she was in a hot spring. She opened her eyes just a crack and could see nothing but orange and red. Her eyes weren't burning, and it only later occurred to her that she could breathe under the lava.

The best part about it was that she was still alive. She wasn't dying. She was alive. Alive!

Cindy pawed forward, "swimming" through the lava. The fire felt comfortable against her skin, not stinging or burning as she thought. She even managed to turn a few underwater (or was it underfire?) backflips.

She could get used to swimming in the fire. It was sure an odd thing, but she was having fun swimming in the flames. She probably would've spent the rest of the day swimming around in there if she hadn't remembered the mission she needed to do.

_Right… Phoenix and the others will be wondering about me… I sure hope they haven't moved on without me… _she thought.

Without a moment's hesitation, Cindy began to paw up to the surface.

She got closer and closer to the surface, and as she got closer, she could've sworn that she heard a noise from above the lava. It sounded like… weeping.

_That's probably Phoenix… I need to get up there now!_

She gave one last push of the lava, and the fireproof Cyndaquil emerged like a dolphin, her eyes shining with excitement.

Her sudden appearance startled Phoenix, who had been standing by the brim of the lava, weeping. He stumbled back with a frightened "Wah!" as Cindy pulled herself out of the magma.

She looked at Emile and Jade, who were all staring at her with expressions of shock. Phoenix had backed up against the rocky wall, his eyes wide with fear and shock.

"Hey, guys! How's it going?" Cindy said casually.

Jade's jaw dropped even lower than it already was. She made a strange croaking sound, too shocked to speak. Emile blinked repeatedly, his eyes wide.

"How did you…?" he asked.

"I don't know. I'm fireproof, apparently," Cindy said with an indifferent shrug. "Honestly, it's kind of like being in a hot spring. It's warm and cozy… Well, for a Fire type like me. I wouldn't recommend you guys taking a swim." She laughed airily, as if she had done nothing more interesting than eat an apple.

She didn't get to say anything more, however, because right then, Phoenix rushed forward, tackling Cindy down with a hug. "Cindy! Oh my gosh, I was so worried! Don't _EVER_ do that to me again, missy, or you will be sorry!" he said, giving her a small slap on her face.

"Okay." Cindy paused. "But it was really fun in there."

"Whatever! Just don't do it again!" Phoenix said.

"Er… guys? I'd hate to break this up, but shouldn't we get going? That Treecko still hasn't been rescued," Emile said.

"Yeah," Phoenix murmured, breaking away from Cindy.

"Hey, Cindy—" Emile rested his paw on her shoulder. "I'm glad you're alive. I'm sure we all are. Right, Jade?" He nudged her in the side, but her comment afterward didn't seem forced at all.

"Right. Seriously, if you got burned to a crisp in there, I would've bawled so much that all the lava in here would be extinguished," she said.

Cindy smiled. "Heh heh… Anyway, let's get going. Hopefully without any more unplanned swimming."

The quartet of eager explorers continued their hike up Mt. Bonfire.

The rest of their journey was fairly uneventful. Cindy didn't take any more dives into the lava. Phoenix mowed down enemy after enemy. Emile would help Phoenix whenever necessary. And Jade complained about the heat. It was just another casual day for Team Blaze—and Team Aura.

The spiraled ledges got narrower as they got closer to the top of the mountain. The air seemed to heat up to where it was uncomfortable even to Cindy. She was beginning to wish she could get out of here as well.

She was beginning to daydream again; this time, her mind took her to the chilly peak of Snowstorm Summit. Oh, how she longed to explore the mountain once more, how she longed to take a break from all this fire and brimstone…

"Hey! Guys! Look! Over there! Do you see that?!"

Emile's voice snapped Cindy out of her daydreams. They were nearly at the top of the mountain now; the opened "roof" was right above them. The lava pool was many feet below them, and now, Cindy definitely didn't want to plunge into it.

Emile pointed his furry blue paw to something green in the distance. It was lying down, its chest slowly rising up and down. It was a Pokémon.

"Do you think that's the Treecko?" Jade whispered.

"Well, there's only one way to find out!"

Emile led the way over to the green lump on the ground, his companions following close behind.

XxX

**In PMD, if you or one of your companions is a Fire type, they can swim in lava, just as Water types can swim in water and Ghost types can go through walls. I hope that clears a few things up about the "underfire" segment.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review!**


	20. Saber and Reuniclus

**A bunch of useless info about Cindy's past is revealed here. We also get to meet several new(?) characters. Yay.**

**Enjoy.**

Chapter 20: Saber and Reuniclus

The explorers approached the green lump and found it to indeed be a Treecko. It was a green, lizard-like Pokémon, with a red belly and a leafy green tail. Its eyes were closed, and its chest rose up only slightly.

There was something that seemed vaguely familiar to Cindy…

Her eyes flittered to the Treecko's left shoulder… and sure enough, a long, jagged scar was snaking its way across its shoulder.

It was the same Treecko that they had met on their way to Snowstorm Summit. The same one who had the strength to temporarily disable Team Nightshade.

Cindy nudged her partner, who was also examining the Treecko. "Phoenix!" she hissed.

"What? What is it?" Phoenix asked, a somewhat surprised look upon his face.

"It's him! That Treecko we met in the forest!" she said.

"You mean that one who stopped Team Nightshade? The one who spoke in that weird language?" he asked.

"Yeah! Him!" Cindy replied. "Look: he has that big scar on his shoulder!"

Phoenix's eyes flitted to his shoulder. His eyes widened as he looked at the long scar.

"Er… Have you met this Treecko before?" Emile asked.

"It's a long story…" Cindy said, still looking at the scar on his shoulder.

"Do you think we should wake him up?" Jade asked.

"Sure…" Phoenix said.

Cindy took a few apprehensive steps toward the Treecko. His breathing was ragged and his chest barely rose when he took in air. Burns were all over his body.

She placed a hand on the Treecko's scarred shoulder and lightly shook him. "Hey… Hey, are you okay?"

For a moment, there was silence, save for the sounds of the bubbling lava below. Then, faster than Cindy could blink, the Treecko sat bolt upright, his yellow eyes widened. He spouted a few surprised sentences in his other language before looking around at his surroundings.

"Who… Are you…" he said. His voice had a heavy accent, though Cindy couldn't pinpoint where it was from now.

"Shh. It's okay, Treecko. We're here to rescue you," Emile assured the Treecko.

His eyes widened even further. "How did you know? Who told you I was here?" he asked.

"We don't know. Someone posted a note on the Job Board at Center City," Phoenix said.

"But—" Treecko's great yellow eyes widened so much that it looked like they were going to pop out of his sockets. "Wait… You're…! Team Blaze? Is that… you?!" he stuttered.

"Yeah. You remember us from Snowstorm Summit?" Cindy asked.

Treecko turned to her, his mouth agape. "Hey… you… What's your name?"

"My name? It's Cindy," she said.

He paused. He tilted his head to the side as if he was listening to something. Then he slowly nodded. "Do you… have a last name?" he whispered, sounding as if he was on the verge of a revelation.

Cindy gasped, a million thoughts running through her head. Yes, she did have a last name: Brandt. According to her parents, "Brandt" meant "fire", which was somewhat coincidental, considering that she had turned into a Cyndaquil.

She hadn't told anyone her last name; not even Phoenix, her closest friend. So how was it that this Treecko, whom she barely knew, knew that she had a last name?

"Um… y-yes… But why do you ask?" Cindy asked.

The Treecko didn't answer; he simply continued to gawk at her. His wide yellow eyes and gaping mouth were starting to creep her out a little.

"My… My last name is… Brandt. I'm Cindy Brandt," she said quietly.

At this, the Treecko broke into a grin. He charged at Cindy and nearly knocked her over in a tackle hug. "Oh, Cindy! I'm so glad you're safe! She told me all about you, of course… I trust you remember me?" he said.

Cindy turned to her companions, who looked just as confused as she felt. "Um... do you... Have you met this Treecko before?" Jade asked.

"Nope," Cindy said, still quite confused.

"But… Are you saying that she never told you?" the Treecko asked, some of his initial excitement fading away.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Who are you, and what are you going on about?" Cindy said, starting to feel uncomfortable about this Treecko.

"Oh, how could you forget about me, of all people? I'm Salvador Gonzales, remember? We were acquaintances in school! You know… Ooh! Do you remember Rick? That guys who always called me Taco McNacho just because I was from Mexico? And you stuck up for me, remember? You tried to get him to stop…" Salvador said.

"I don't know who you're talking about. Can you please explain what's going on?" Cindy said, now frustrated with Salvador.

"Oh… Right, she told me that your memory was wiped when you were turned from a human into a Pokémon… Sorry about that…" Salvador mused.

Cindy took a step back, now terrified of the Treecko. Someone—something—had told him all about her. He knew she was a human-turned-Pokémon. He knew her last name. He kept on describing experiences that they had apparently shared…

"Look, can we just get out of here? I'm burning up, and I'm sure you are too. Let's go back to Center City, okay?" Jade said impatiently.

"Oh, but I still need to explain—" Salvador cried.

Too late—Jade had already touched her badge. She disappeared in a flash of yellow light, spirited away back to the city.

"Here, Salvador. Touch my Explorer Badge, that'll take us back to Center City," Emile said, kindly holding up his badge for the Treecko to touch.

"Don't call me Salvador! It's a stupid name! Call me Saber instead. It fits me, me and my father loved fencing in the—" Saber insisted.

"C'mon, c'mon. We don't have all day, Saber," Emile said. Even his mature patience was starting to wear thin.

"Okay! See you in this 'Center City', guys! Thanks again. _Gracias!_" Saber weakly reached up to Emile's Explorer Badge. There was another bright light, and the scarred Treecko was gone.

"That was… weird…" Phoenix said, staring at the spot where Saber once was.

"Do you know him from before?" Emile asked.

"No! I've only told you a million times that I have no idea what he's talking about! He's making absolutely no sense to me! He acts like he's met me before, but… the only time we met was during a trip to Snowstorm Summit… Other than that, I've never seen him!" Cindy snapped.

She took one look at the pained expression on Emile's face, and she instantly started to stutter her apologies. Her apology wasn't the best one she'd ever made up; she was just too confused to make up a proper apology. It seemed to be enough for Emile, though.

"Everything's fine. Everything's fine! Don't worry. Forgive and forget, that's my policy," Emile said lightly. "Anyway, let's get going. I'm starting to burn up in here."

He placed his furry blue paw on his Explorer Badge, and with another bright light, he was gone.

Now Phoenix and Cindy were alone.

"Cindy…?" he asked.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Are you absolutely sure you don't know him?" Phoenix asked cautiously.

Cindy sighed and hung her head. "I'm absolutely sure, Phoenix. I don't know how many times I have to tell you, but I don't know him from anywhere," she said. She probably would've continued to speak, but she simply touched her Explorer Badge, and the next thing she knew, she was in Center City.

There was a small flash of light, and Phoenix appeared next to her. He didn't meet her gaze.

Emile, Jade, and Saber were standing by the Job Board, mopping the beads of sweat off their foreheads. Saber was digging around in a very tattered looking Explorer Bag, rummaging for a suitable reward for the two teams.

"It's okay, we don't need a reward. We're the charitable type," Emile said.

"Good, because I only have a couple of Oran Berries and a Plain Seed in reserve. If I'm that clumsy again, then I might need those berries! Ha ha!" he giggled.

He turned to Cindy and Phoenix, his smile growing wider. "Oh! That reminds me… Cindy, Phoenix, I need to have a word with you. She wants me to," he said.

"Um… Who… is this lady you're referring to? You're saying really cryptic things like 'She told me' and 'She wants me to'. Who is it?!" Cindy said.

"Yes, yes. I was just about to explain it…" Saber said.

"Can we join?" Jade asked.

"Oh… I wasn't planning on having you guys join… It's not that I don't like you, it's just that it might make more sense if you're Cindy or Phoenix. Sorry…" Saber said, blushing slightly.

"No, no, it's fine. No offense taken." Emile turned to Cindy and Phoenix, a grin on his face. "Thanks for exploring with us, guys! It was really fun!" he said.

"No problem! Thank you for dealing with us, even though we're a little crazy…" Phoenix said. "I can't wait to explore with you guys again!"

"Neither can we! Anyway, nice to meet you, Saber. Talk to you later, I guess!" Emile said with a grin.

He grabbed Jade by the arm and dragged her back to Talented Tavern. Jade just managed to scream "Bye, guys!" before the duo vanished into the tavern.

"Yes, yes. Those guys are really nice, don't you think?" Saber mused.

"No kidding! They're my favorite explorers! Besides Dr. Z, and Team Charm, and Team Raider, and Team Daybreak, and Team Millennium, and Team—" Phoenix activated his "crazy fanboy mode" again and began to ramble on about all the exploration teams he liked.

"He does that a lot," Cindy whispered to Saber.

"I understand. So… shall we get the talk over with? Let's go find somewhere private; I don't wanna be overheard by anyone," Saber said.

"Um… yeah…" Cindy said uncomfortably. She still had her doubts about Saber, but there was something in her… almost like a voice whispering in her ear… something was telling her that Saber was alright. He was a friend. She could trust him.

"Hey! Wait! Don't leave without me!" Phoenix had snapped out of his ramble about explorers and turned back towards Cindy and Saber.

"Do you know of a place where we can talk in private?" Saber asked.

"Sure. We can just head on over to Phoenix's house. It's a tad bit small, but I'm sure it'll suffice. Are you okay with that?" Cindy asked.

"Sure! Let's get going, _amigos_. No time to waste!" Saber said, grinning enthusiastically.

Cindy led the way to Phoenix's house. She knew the way to the small hut very well by now; she had been making the journey from the Job Board to his house for nearly a month now.

_Wow… has it really been a month since my transformation? My goodness… It's been so long, but it only feels like yesterday that I woke up on a straw bed in the middle of Rose Road…_

Cindy had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that they had already arrived at Phoenix's house. She also failed to notice the hard wooden door until she had walked straight into it. Phoenix and Saber burst into gales of laughter while she tried valiantly to laugh along with them, despite the new bruise on her forehead.

Phoenix opened the door for Cindy, hos body still shaking with laughter. She led the way in while Saber and Phoenix followed close behind her.

"So, this is it: my home. It's also our base of operations now that we're an exploration team. It's pretty small; it's definitely no Talented Tavern, but it's something, I guess," Phoenix introduced.

"Wow… This place is pretty cool…" Saber said as he looked around at the various nooks and crannies of the small hut.

"Well, c'mon! Don't be shy. Take a seat! Make yourself at home!" Cindy said, gesturing warmly to the straw beds.

Saber did indeed take a seat, not on the bed of straw, but on the soft green grass. Phoenix and Cindy opted to settle down on their beds.

"So: from the beginning. Tell us a little about yourself," Cindy prompted.

"Cindy! You're rushing him! Give him time to settle down!" Phoenix cried, giving her a nudge.

"Oh no, I'm fine. I'm all settled in. Nice place you've got here, by the way," Saber said, shifting around on the grass below him. "So I guess I owe you an explanation… Be warned, though: you may not believe me. Heck, I'm almost certain that you'll say 'That's preposterous!' when I'm finished with my story…"

Cindy nodded, still somewhat uncertain about Saber. It was not every day that you find a Pokémon who claims to know you from an earlier time, and Saber's sudden request to talk with them was certainly suspicious, but Cindy had met many new, strange Pokémon that turned out to be all right. She nodded, prompting him to continue.

"Don't worry, Saber. Even though we've only known you for about half an hour, I'm sure we'll believe you," Cindy assured him.

"Oh no, Cindy. You've known me for much longer than half an hour," Saber said.

"And just what do you mean by that?" Cindy said.

"Well… Like I said earlier, you're probably not gonna believe me, but… I… I was once a human, too, Cindy."

Now Cindy understood what Emile felt like when she had told him that she had been a human: shock. Pure shock. It was as if her very brain had been erased of all thoughts except for one: _Saber was once a human._

Phoenix wasn't faring much better. He gaped at Saber, who was now looking down at the ground, quite ashamed. His eyes bulged, and it looked like his eyeballs were going to pop out of their sockets at any moment.

"Y-you're… You were once a… human…?" Cindy said, her tongue nearly numb from the initial surprise.

"Yep. Just like you," Saber murmured. He looked quite ashamed about telling them his secret.

"But… how did you know? How did you know that I'd turned into a Pokémon?" Cindy asked. She had never told anyone other than Emile, Jade, and Phoenix. How was it that this Treecko, whom she had never met before, knew about her secret?

"We'll get to that later," Saber said.

"And what do you mean that we've met before?" Cindy asked, though a sinking feeling in her stomach answered that before Saber had even opened his mouth…

"We knew each other as humans," Saber said, confirming her suspicions.

Cindy's mouth dropped open, the shock returning. Saber smiled at her strange expression.

"Oh, Cindy. You look goofy, you know?" he said.

The tension melted away like ice cream in the hot sun.

"Um… thank you, I guess…" Cindy said, blushing slightly. "Anyway, how did we know each other? Are we, like, friends?" She was about to remind him that her memory had been wiped when she had turned into a Pokémon, but she thought back to his words in Mt. Bonfire:

_ "Oh… Right, she told me that your memory was wiped when you were turned from a human into a Pokémon…"_

Apparently he knew that as well. This Treecko knew more about her than she did.

"We weren't exactly what you'd call 'friends'. 'Acquaintances' would be a more accurate term for what we were," Saber rephrased.

"Whatever. Continue, please," Cindy said.

"See, back in the human world, we both attended the same school: Wimberley Middle School. I was originally from a country called Mexico, which is why I have such a strange accent. It's also why I sometimes slip into another language; Spanish is my native language. I'm just now starting to pick up on English," he said.

"Oh," Cindy said, thinking back to the times when he had uttered words that hadn't made sense to her. Maybe this was "Spanish".

"Anyway, I was bullied a lot because of my ethnicity. There was this one guy, Rick… He liked calling me Taco McNacho… But whenever he called me that, you'd stick up for me…" he continued. "You were the closest thing I had to a friend, Cindy. I mean, when I joined the school soccer team, I met a few nice people… But I could still hear them poking fun at me behind my back…" His voice was heavy and full of pain.

There was a silence. Saber stared into Cindy's eyes, not breaking away. Finally, he said the greatest two words an explorer could hope to hear: "Thank you."

"Er… No problem, Saber," she said.

Now it was Phoenix's turn to ask a question. "Hey… How'd you get that scar on your shoulder?" he asked.

Saber fell silent. It was quite obvious that this was a very sensitive question for the scarred Treecko. Phoenix could tell this as well, as he began to stutter his apologies at once. Saber sighed.

"I had… an accident," he said simply.

He didn't look like he was ready to elaborate. Phoenix didn't try to pry.

"So… do you believe me? About my past and stuff?" Saber asked Cindy.

"No," Cindy said without hesitation. Even though she had begun to trust Saber, she found it quite unlikely that they had shared such an elaborate past. It was quite unbelievable.

Saber's gaze dropped. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. I don't have anything against you, it's just… I find it hard to believe you. I mean… it's crazy, huh? Two humans who knew each other from before just so happen to turn into Pokémon… and then they meet each other… I find it hard to believe. I'm sorry," Cindy said.

"I assure you, what I'm saying is completely true!" Saber insisted.

"Like I said, I just can't believe you. I'm sorry, I just can't," Cindy said.

"Por favor… Creéme… Es cierto…" he said, temporarily forgetting how to speak English.

"Er…" Phoenix said.

"You know what?" Saber's crestfallen expression was replaced by a determined one. "I'm not gonna give up! I'm gonna keep on bugging you until you believe me! I'm not one who gives up easily. I don't care if it takes me one day or one year; I will strive to tell you the truth!" he cried.

"Saber—" Phoenix said.

"Like I said, I'm not gonna give up. I'm gonna make you believe if it's the last thing I do!" Saber said. "I have nothing against you, Cindy, I just wanna make you believe…"

Cindy opened her mouth to continue arguing, but she apparently decided against it. _It'd be best to just play along with him for now…_

"Okay, Saber. Thanks, I guess," she said.

"No problem, Cindy!" Saber stood up and started towards the door. "Well, I must be going now. It's getting late, and I should go book a room at the inn before it's too late. See you tomorrow, guys!" he said.

"Bye, Saber," Cindy said, waving as the scarred Treecko opened the door. He walked outside into the dark world with one last smile to the Cyndaquil and Piplup.

"Well… that was weird…" Phoenix said once Saber was lost in the darkness beyond.

"No kidding," Cindy agreed.

"Um… so, I guess we'd better get to sleep…" Phoenix said, lying down on his bed of straw.

"Yeah. Good night, Phoenix…" Cindy said.

"Good night," Phoenix said.

Cindy flopped down on her bed, closing her eyes. Her mind was still swarming with questions. She wondered about Saber, and wondered if he was telling the truth. She wondered about who Saber was referring to whenever he said "she told me". She wondered about all those unanswered questions… but she was too tired to think much of it.

Cindy put her mind to rest and drifted off to sleep…

XxX

_ Cindy's eyes fluttered open, revealing a very familiar landscape swirling out in front of her. She was once again drifting in the rainbow mist that she had seen so many times._

_ She waited for the familiar shapeless glob that would soon appear. Turns out, she didn't have to wait too long._

_ A fuzzy black shape appeared in front of her. As she waited, it began to take shape, the black blob turning green and expanding…_

_ Soon the transformation was complete._

_ In front of her was a Pokémon that looked as if it was encased in green Jell-O. Its body was a light shade of green. It had a wide smile and small black dots for eyes. Its arms were the weirdest part of the body. Its "arms" were made up of multiple spheres that were green, yellow, and red. Two green spheres hovered over its head like horns._

_ Cindy recognized the Pokémon as a Reuniclus._

_**"Hello, Miss Brandt,"**__ Reuniclus said. Her voice was very friendly and clear._

_ "Um… hi, I guess…" Cindy said uncertainly. "Who are you? Are you the one who keeps talking to me in these dreams?"_

_ Reuniclus laughed. __**"Very good, Cindy. Yes, I am the one who has been communicating with you in the world of dreams. I am Reuniclus. It is a pleasure to be strong enough to talk with you tonight."**_

_ "What do you mean by that?" Cindy asked, privately wishing that Reuniclus wouldn't be so cryptic._

_**"Ah, yes, I do suppose I owe you an explanation…" **__Reuniclus mused._

_ There was a pause. Reuniclus seemed to be thinking about how to phrase what she was going to say. As Reuniclus thought, however, Cindy noticed that her green form was flickering slightly, like a hologram. She seemed to be in no danger of disappearing, however._

_**"So… Let's start from the beginning. Have you ever stopped to wonder how you turned into a Pokémon in the first place? It's not like humans spontaneously turn into Pokémon every other day," **__Reuniclus began._

_ Cindy nodded slowly. She had always wondered how she turned into a Cyndaquil. Every day, she thought about it and tried to reach a conclusion about it, only to find herself at a dead end every time. If Reuniclus had information about her mysterious past, then…_

_ "Yeah. I wonder about it every day," she said._

_ Reuniclus nodded.__** "Mmm… yes. Well, you don't have to wonder about it anymore… I know how you turned into a Pokémon," **__she said._

_ Cindy took a step back, uneasiness churning in her stomach. She was still quite apprehensive about this green blob of jelly. Why should she trust her? She was an intruder in her dreams. Intruders were generally bad…_

_ But then again, Reuniclus seemed to be genuinely nice. She was the one who had warned her about the virus… And she had told her about Saber, whom she had met that day… Now the question wasn't why should she trust her… Instead, it was why_ shouldn't_ she trust her?_

_ "You know what happened?" she asked._

_**"Yes… I'm sure that it'll sound quite preposterous to you, though…" **__Reuniclus said, her jelly-covered arms hanging low._

_ "Don't worry. I'm starting to get used to preposterous things…" Cindy said, though she still didn't believe Saber when he had told her about their shared past._

_ Reuniclus took a deep breath. She looked like she was a prisoner about to admit to committing a crime. __**"I should have told you earlier, but… I did it. I was the one who transformed you into a Pokémon."**_

_ The first feeling that shot through Cindy was surprise. She had never expected a blob of Jell-O to be the one who caused her to turn into a fire-breathing shrew. She had expected a big legendary Pokémon like Terrakion to have caused her transformation. Even Lady Mew, the tiny, wispy pink cat, seemed more likely to have caused this. Never had she expected Reuniclus to have done it._

_ The second feeling that seeped into Cindy's mind was anger. She had many dreams like this, where Reuniclus would appear and spout confusing information. Why hadn't she told her about this earlier? It would've made a lot more sense to tell her sooner; she wouldn't have to waste countless minutes having to try and decipher the reason by herself. _

_**"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier… I simply didn't have the strength to tell you… I could only give you little hints about your journey…" **__Reuniclus said instantly. It was like she had read Cindy's mind. Then again, it wasn't entirely out of the question that she _had_ read her mind._

_ "You mean like warning me about the disease? And about Saber…?"_

_ A thought occurred to Cindy. If Reuniclus was telling the truth, then she could apparently turn humans into Pokémon. And if Saber was telling the truth, he had once been a human as well… but then he got turned into a Pokémon. Did that mean…?_

_**"I see you've finally met Saber. What do you think about him so far?" **__Reuniclus said._

_ Cindy shuddered. Reuniclus was really starting to creep her out by now. How had she known all this stuff that had happened? Had she read her mind or something?_

_**"Relax, young one. I have been watching over you from the heavens, monitoring your progress as a Pokémon. You make a very good Cyndaquil, you know," **__Reuniclus said soothingly._

_ Cindy relaxed, her tensed shoulders slumping forward again. "That makes sense," she said. "Oh, and as for Saber, he's really confusing to me. He's going on about how we used to know each other as humans…"_

_**"Mmm… Yes…" **__Reuniclus mused._

_ "So why do you bring him up?" Cindy asked._

_**"Well… If you recall, Mr. Gonzales was also a human that had transformed into a Pokémon. Can you guess how he turned into a Pokémon?" **__she asked._

_ Cindy didn't have to think twice about it. "It was you… right?"_

_**"Yes. It was me."**_

_ "And are you the one who has been secretly in touch with Saber?" Cindy asked, her anger steadily increasing._

_**"Yes. I'm sorry that I couldn't communicate with you as well…"**__ Reuniclus said apologetically._

_ "It's fine," Cindy said, though she still felt remorse that she had chosen Saber instead of her. "Anyway, why did you bring me into this world in the first place?"_

_**"Yes… Well, that's… a story for a different day, my dear. I'm sorry, but I've already told you a lot. Soon he'll sense me… and then…" **__Reuniclus said. __**"I'm sorry, but now I'm going to have to go before he notices this…"**_

_ "No!" Cindy cried. "Don't go! Tell me now! What's going on?! Why?!" Despite her cries, Reuniclus simply nodded sadly._

_**"I'm… sorry… I must go… I'll see you… very soon… Cindy…" **__Reuniclus's green image began to fade… The swirling mist was turning into broken static… Cindy could feel the whole world starting to disappear… fading…_

_ "Noooooooo!" she cried, but her cry was heard by no one… Reuniclus was gone… Everything was black…_

_ And Cindy woke up, sweating and thrashing about._

XxX

**DISCLAIMER:**

**Saber the Treecko was an original character created by the awesome user L0rd Aurastorm. I'm sorry, but I am not accepting any more fan-made OCs. I'm quite sorry, but don't worry, in the future, I plan on making a story where you can submit OCs. Until then, though, I am not accepting original characters. I'm sorry.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review!**


	21. Team Eeveelution's Farewell

**You guys are really gonna hate me after you're finished reading this chapter. That's all I'm saying.**

Chapter 21: Team Eeveelution's Farewell

"Wah!" Cindy cried, sitting bolt upright in her bed of straw. Her heart was racing so fast that it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. Her mind was completely and utterly blown from the sudden burst of information.

Dreams. Transformation. Saber. Reuniclus. _Reuniclus_.

She rubbed her eyes and stared out the window to be greeted with the multicolored sky of dawn. It was still too early to be exploring, but she didn't think she could get back to sleep. Instead, she stared out the window, watching the sun slowly rise over the city.

Questions swam around in her mind. While Reuniclus had answered several questions, she had raised just as many. Who was watching her? How had Reuniclus turned her into a Pokémon? And why…?

"Bluh… Buh! Re-Reuni-wha…?"

Phoenix had awoken. He looked around frantically, blubbing nonsense. He frantically glanced around the small hut, looking for something… or someone.

"Phoenix! Phoenix!" Cindy said, placing a hand on the bouncing Piplup's shoulder. "What's got you all in a tizzy?"

"I-I had a dream… Reuniclus was there… she turned you into a Pokémon?!" Phoenix said, panting breathlessly.

Cindy looked down to the ground, sighing loudly. "Yeah. Apparently…" she murmured.

Phoenix stared at Cindy, his gaze unbroken. She strangely found herself on the verge of tears. Perhaps it was the sudden influx of information. Perhaps it was something else, something that even she didn't know.

Cindy melted into Phoenix's arms, finally letting her tears slide. For a moment, she sat there, sobbing in his arms.

"I'm confused…" Cindy murmured.

"So am I, Cindy," Phoenix assured her.

"I just wanna be a normal exploration team… I don't wanna be a human-turned-Pokémon or anything special like that…" she said through her tears.

"I know how you feel, Cindy. I know how you feel…" Phoenix said, patting her on the head.

Cindy tried to say something more, but she simply shook her head and continued to cry into Phoenix's wing.

After a few minutes, Cindy managed to pull herself together. "But… we can't concern ourselves with this now. I'm sure the details about this will become clear later. For now, we'll just explore. Is that okay?"

"Sure! I don't wanna worry about this now. Let's just start exploring," Phoenix said.

Cindy nodded and led the way to the door. A bright smile graced her face.

She may have looked happy on the outside, but her mind was still brimming with unanswered questions. She tried to force the many mysteries out of her head and get to exploring, but whenever she thought she had banished the questions from her mind, they came back, like a dog persistent on finding a lost ball.

XxX

Despite all the questions bouncing around in her mind, Cindy managed to make it through the next few days okay. She didn't have any more dreams about Reuniclus. She talked to Saber on a daily basis; she was somewhat more accepting of her jumbled past, but she still didn't quite believe him.

They also made a habit of talking to Dr. Z about any leads on the Pokérus virus. He still made daily trips to Medicine Forest and came out with a variety of different plants and insects, from soft moss to ripe berries to bubbling substances that even Cindy couldn't name. Despite all the items the doctor pulled in, none of them seemed to be slowing down the virus.

"It's terrible, I tell you. Every day, I walk into Nurse Blissey's place, loaded down with all sorts of things that could possibly cure Pokérus… but at the end of the day, it's like I haven't made a dent. By far the worst thing is seeing all the hopelessness on their blotchy faces… It's terrible. Be thankful you aren't me…" Dr. Z said to them one day.

Phoenix nodded slowly. "I know how you feel, sir… Back in Mead Village, we saw a young Togepi who had Pokérus… He was our friend, we helped him through a lot, but in the end, he was taken away. Golly, I still have nightmares about his helpless face…" He shuddered.

"Oh, by the way, have you, by any chance, seen an Umbreon by the name of Grant? He's been in the institute for about a week now. Is he okay?" Cindy asked.

Dr. Z took a long time to answer. He dropped his gaze, his glasses sliding down his nose. "Yes. About that…"

Cindy's heart nearly stopped. "Don't tell me he's dead. Please don't tell me he's dead."

"No, he's not dead… but… he's getting worse. And… he also had some friends… I think they were… Katie and Travis? The Espeon and Flareon, am I right? Well…"

The doctor closed his eyes and gazed down at the ground sadly. A single tear squeezed out of his spectacled eye. Cindy didn't even need words to figure out what had happened.

"No… No no no no no no no… It can't be… Katie, Travis… they're both infected… right?" she murmured.

Her heart didn't stop; on the contrary, it sped up. She gazed up at the sky, hoping, praying that it wasn't true… that Katie and Travis were just fine… that they would live… _live_…

"I'm sorry."

That was all the doctor said.

Cindy wailed, flinging herself into Phoenix's arms. She expected him to hold her in his arms and whisper reassuring words into her ear, but he was so shocked and surprised that he wasn't ready to take a full-force tackle hug from Cindy. They both fell to the dusty ground, where they both stayed, unable and unwilling to pull themselves up.

For a moment, Cindy and Phoenix cried on the ground, their tears splattering the dirt pathway below them. A small crowd of onlookers had gathered around them, watching the scene unfurl. Horrible, half-formed thoughts raced through her mind, making the whole situation even worse for the Cyndaquil.

_Katie… Travis… Grant… why?! Why did you have to be the ones infected?! Why couldn't Team Nightshade have been infected?! Why… what… how… who… guh! _Soon she completely gave up on thinking.

Inwardly, she blamed Team Eeveelution for getting sick, which was a complete absurdity. They hadn't knowingly been infected. They hadn't said one day, "Hey, let's go pick up a terminal illness today! It'll be fun!" It wasn't because of them.

After an eternity of terrible, mixed-up feelings of sadness and anger bouncing around inside her, Cindy sat up, her face still damp with tears. She asked one question: "How long?"

"Pardon?" Dr. Z said, examining Cindy with mild curiosity.

"How long?" she repeated.

"Oh…" Dr. Z rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "I'd say… at the most… one month."

"ONE MONTH?!" Phoenix screeched. "That's too short! They can't die in one month!"

"It may be shorter for Grant, however… since he's had Pokérus for longer…" Dr. Z reported.

Cindy's sadness was abruptly replaced with blind fury. She was angry at Dr. Z now. She blamed him for not doing enough to help Katie and Travis and Grant. She wanted to roast the glasses of Dr. Z's face. How dare he not help them?! How dare him?!

_ Ah, but remember: Dr. Z isn't the cause for this, _a tiny corner of her mind reminded her. _It's no one's fault that this happened. There's no one to blame for this._

Cindy sighed, the anger in her fizzling out. "I'm sorry… it's just… they're our good friends, and if they die…"

Quite suddenly, her crestfallen mood was replaced with something else: fear. They had spent quite a bit of time around Team Eeveelution. What if they were infected as well? And if they were, how come they weren't showing signs of it?

"Doctor?" she asked.

Dr. Z looked up and focused at Cindy. "Yes, Miss Brandt?"

"Do you know… I mean, can you tell if we're infected?" she asked.

Phoenix, who had been quietly sobbing behind Cindy, descended into hysterics at this question. "Oh Arceus… no! Don't tell us we're infected too! Oh Arceus… oh Arceus… what'll we do? How long will it be before we're decaying like everyone else? How long do we have to live? When'll we die?! WAAAAAAAAAAH! I DON'T WANNA DIEEEEEE!" he wailed.

"Phoenix! Phoenix, calm down! Calm down!" Cindy said firmly, placing a hand on Phoenix's shoulder. "Don't worry! If we had Pokérus, surely we would've known by now!"

"Yeah, but… Dr. Z said that it takes a while to show itself! What if we have it and we just don't know about it yet?! Oh Arceus… I'm so scared…" Phoenix said sadly.

"Don't worry, chappies. Later this week, I may be able to get you tested for the virus. It's nothing too painful; just a tiny blood sample. I believe there's a kind Beedrill to assist in that… But until then, you can keep exploring. Just avoid direct contact with other Pokémon, if you can," Dr. Z said.

"Okay…" Phoenix said, still jittery with worry.

"Now, I believe I must be going now. There was this one area of Medicine Forest that I have yet to explore… I believe it's the only place in this region that you can find Luminous Moss… Ah, sorry. Just an old doctor's musings. Anyway, good luck in your explorations, young ones!" Dr. Z said, a kind twinkle in his eyes.

"Maybe one day, when we're stronger, we can come exploring again with you!" Phoenix said, his lighthearted mood slowly returning.

"Yeah! I'm sure we can help you a lot!" Cindy agreed, nodding enthusiastically.

"I'll consider it. But for now, stay out of it, okay? Now, I believe I must be going. See you guys later!" Dr. Z smiled and hovered off for another daily trip to Medicine Forest.

Once the doctor was gone, Phoenix turned back to Cindy, his face pinched with concern. "Oh, so many Pokémon are getting sick now… Who knows? If our luck continues like this, the next victims will be Team Au—"

Cindy silenced Phoenix's musings with a slap across the beak. "SHUT UP! Don't say that sort of stuff! You'll just end up jinxing us! You don't really want Team Aura to be sick, do you?!" she screeched.

"Oh my, you're friends with Team Aura, aren't you?"

Just to make a bad day even worse, Mawile and her oversized cronies just _had _to show up right behind them.

Cindy took a step back, the flames on her back sputtering in case of a fight. "Yeah. Do you have a problem with that?" she said.

"Why, yes, I do. I heard that the leader, Emile, has serious anger issues. He'll scream at you if you enrage him enough… I heard one time, he even threatened to kill a defenseless Chatot who couldn't do anything against him! Imagine what he'll do to rookies like yourselves…" Mawile said, her voice lowering conspiratorially.

The flames on Cindy's back rose angrily, her emotions reaching a peak. She didn't find this statement entirely unlikely, but still, no one insulted her friends like that. "I'm the same way. If people insult my friends like you just did, then I'm really tempted to barbecue their faces," she warned.

"Oh, and did you hear that rumor about Dr. Z?" Magmortar continued, completely ignoring Cindy's threat. "I heard that he has no medical expertise! He just guesses with his patients. That's why this crazy virus is killing so many Pokémon: he's too stupid to figure out the cure!"

Phoenix's blind fury emerged again. His eyes shone with rage, and his body trembled angrily. "DON'T YOU DARE INSULT DR. Z IN FRONT OF ME!" he screamed.

Before Cindy could stop him, he lashed out at Magmortar, his eyes wild and unfocused. Before he could unleash his full fury on the brute, Electivire stepped in, his body crackling with electricity. Phoenix backed down, barely avoiding getting shocked.

"Now, now, don't lose your temper, honey," Mawile said, regaining her normal friendly tones.

"Just for your information, we know stuff about Dr. Z and Team Aura… stuff they were meaning to keep hidden… Terrible things that hide under their veil of fame…" Electivire said.

"Did ya hear that fact about Terrakion? It's a fact that he gets angry when Pokémon spread lies about famous explorers, and he will threaten to destroy anyone who does so. Am I right, _liars_?"

Terrakion, the great, brutish ox, had overheard the last snippet of their conversation. He lumbered toward the two teams, the ground beneath him shaking with every step he took. He was wearing his usual grumpy expression, but now, a tinge of anger was mixed into his tones.

Electivire and Magmortar stepped away from Terrakion as he approached them, however, Mawile held her ground. Cindy found it hilarious that two giant Pokémon cowered away while a tiny, wispy Mawile stood up to him.

"Terrakion! What're you doing here?! You're supposed to be—" she cried.

"Yeah? Well, what're you supposed to be doin'? Spreading lies about perfectly normal exploration teams?" Terrakion retorted.

"Don't you remember—" Mawile said.

"Yeah. I remember that. But that doesn't mean I have to do exactly what he said, does that? You'd back down from the girl now if you wanna know what's best for ya," he said.

"But—"

"_Now_."

Mawile whimpered and backed away, scowling. "Fine. We'll go back. Keep in mind, you only have yourself to blame when he punishes you for disobeying," she said.

"Scram!" Terrakion ordered.

Electivire and Magmortar scampered away to the rundown store they worked in, while Mawile begrudgingly followed behind.

Terrakion turned back to Cindy and Phoenix, who cowered in his gaze. "T-Terrakion, sir…" Phoenix stuttered.

"Don't worry yourselves none. I'm not gonna hurt ya," he said.

"But… What… why did you…?" Cindy said, struggling to find the right words.

"You're wondering why I stood up to them?" he completed. Cindy nodded.

"It sounded like… like you knew them from before now. You were talking about following someone's orders and stuff like that… What did you mean?" Phoenix asked.

"It's a long story… I'll tell ya later. But honestly, I hate it when people spread lies 'bout other people. It's bad enough to lie; it's even worse to lie 'bout a fellow Pokémon, ya know?" he said.

"But I thought you hated us!" Phoenix cried. "You're mocking us and threatening us and—"

"I know, I know. Truth be told, I still hate ya. This 'lil incident hasn't changed a thing. Next time we meet, expect to see me mocking ya again," he admitted.

Phoenix could do nothing more but nod frantically.

"Thanks, Terrakion. We owe you one," Cindy thanked him.

"Nah, ya don't owe me nothing. Just watch your back; once Team Chompy decides they hate ya, they aren't gonna change their mind 'bout ya. Okay?" he said.

"Okay…" Phoenix said.

"Now, I'd best be going. See ya later, I guess. And don't expect me to be all Mr. Nice Guy next time we meet, ya got that, pipsqueaks?" he said.

"Yeah," Cindy said.

"Good."

The barest hint of a smile graced Terrakion's face, if only for one fleeting second. Then, he turned around and lumbered off into the city, leaving Cindy and Phoenix wondering about his sudden mood swing.

It didn't look like they'd figure it out any time soon, though.

XxX

**So... um... yeah. Review, I guess...?**


	22. Team Blaze's New Recruit

**This is kind of a shorter chapter, sorry I didn't have time to piece together a longer one, laziness strikes again. I still hope you like this, though.**

Chapter 22: Team Blaze's New Recruit

Cindy spent the rest of the day wondering about Dr. Z, Terrakion, Team Eeveelution, and Team Chompy. Why had Terrakion stepped up to defend them when he could've easily joined in on the taunting? Had Team Chompy and Terrakion met before this all happened? How did Team Eeveelution contract Pokérus? How long did they have to live? Was she infected herself…?

All those questions bounced around in her head, eventually giving her a violent headache, which severely hampered her exploration skills. She found herself stumbling a lot and running into trees, which didn't help her out in the slightest. By the time they had finished their job (retrieve a Slumber Orb from Crystal Stream) Cindy was covered in bumps and bruises and her head throbbed.

She didn't even have time to think about Terrakion and Team Eeveelution when she crashed on her bed at night. She was too tired, too beaten up to do much thinking.

XxX

The next day, she awoke with a cramped neck, a numb arm, and a broken heart. She hadn't slept very well; she seemed to have awoken from a nightmare, but she couldn't remember the exact details of it. Maybe that was better; she didn't want to be haunted by nightmares while she tried to debunk these curious questions.

She woke up Phoenix, who seemed to have cried himself to sleep. His straw bed was damp with tears and his eyes were wet. As he groaned and got up, he mumbled something that sounded like a prayer.

"Ugh… Good morning, I guess… he groaned, drying off his tears.

"Good morning, Phoenix," Cindy said, trying to maintain a healthy amount of pep in her voice.

"I wanna go check on them. I wanna say a few things to Katie and Grant and Travis. Surely Nurse Blissey will let us go in…" Phoenix said.

"I don't think they'll let us in. There's too much of a risk of contamination. This thing's spreading like wildfire, and we could be next if we're not careful," she said, though inwardly she still wanted to see her friends, even if that put her at further risks of contracting the disease.

"Yeah… I guess we could get Dr. Z to tell them hi for us," Phoenix said halfheartedly.

"Sure." Cindy smiled a humorless smile. "Anyway, let's get going. We can't keep wallowing around in our sorrows forever; there are jobs to do!"

"That's the spirit," Phoenix agreed.

Cindy nodded and opened the door to their house. In no way was she expecting who was on the other side of it.

Saber was waiting on the other side of the door, his face broken into a mischievous grin. His ragged Explorer Bag that he had been carrying around with him had been replaced by a fine leather satchel that was in much better condition than Cindy's.

"Why, hello, Saber," Cindy said, mildly surprised at his sudden arrival.

"Hey, Cindy! Hey, Phoenix! How's it going?" he said, his sneaky grin still on his face.

"Pretty good. How are you?" Phoenix said.

"I'm excited! I've come here with a completely random request for you guys," he said.

"A… request?" Cindy said blankly.

"Yeah! See, I heard you guys are really good explorers. I mean, you saved me from Mt. Bonfire. That's definitely good! And…" Saber's voice lowered. "Of course, we've met before, you know?" He winked at Cindy.

"Yeah," she said, playing along with Saber. She still didn't really believe him about their shared past, however.

"Well, I've done some thinking, and I've decided that I want… to join your team!" he announced.

Cindy gasped slightly, taken aback by such a strange request. She had never thought about recruiting new Pokémon for their exploration team. It appeared that Phoenix hadn't considered this before; his mouth was agape, his eyes widened in curiosity.

She glanced at Phoenix and tilted her head slightly. Her expression seemed to say _"What should we do?"_ He shrugged.

Cindy didn't know what to do. On one hand, it would be nice to have some company, and an exploration team could never have too many explorers. On the other hand, she still thought Saber was a little weird, and she didn't want to have him continuously listen to him ramble about his past with her.

Saber must've noticed the look of doubt on her face, as he added, "Please? I'm a good explorer, I swear! I can fight really well, and I'm really agile, and—"

"Okay! Okay!" Cindy cried, having finally made up her mind. "You can join our team. Welcome to Team Blaze, Saber. Now, if you wanna explore with us, then you're gonna have to shut your mouth. Sorry, but I can't stand it when people talk too much," she said.

Saber's jaw dropped. His yellow eyes bulged, unable to believe Cindy's words. Then, faster than she could react, Saber tackled her over with a huge hug.

"_Nunca pensé en mis sueños más salvajes me gustaría tener a unirse a usted!" _he shouted, temporarily forgetting how to speak English.

"Er… you're welcome, I guess…?" Cindy said, brushing herself up and brushing some dust off her body.

"Oh… oh, thank you, guys! Thank you!" Saber said as he backed away from the frazzled Cyndaquil.

"No problem. So, shall we get exploring?" Phoenix asked.

"Yeah! I can't wait to explore with the world-famous Team Blaze!" Saber said.

"I wouldn't call our team 'world-famous', but, um, thanks, I guess," Cindy said.

"You will be world-famous when I'm exploring by your side!" Saber said.

_There's nothing like a little bit of ego for a young explorer like him, _she thought privately.

"So let's get going! There's exploring to be done!" Phoenix said.

"Yeah!" Cindy and Saber cheered.

The scarred Treecko gave Cindy and Phoenix a high five and happily skipped away into Center City. Cindy followed without hesitation.

They eventually picked out a job at Mt. Brigand: defeat an outlaw Whiscash for Junior Officer Gabite. (Officer Garchomp was still in Mead Village, according to him) Inwardly, Cindy wished that they could pick up an easier job, but she didn't complain as they headed out to the mountainous dungeon.

Soon, they were at the tall mountain, ready to bust some bad guys.

"All right! My first job with Team Blaze!" Saber said, smiling and flexing his long green fingers.

"Let's make it a good one!" Phoenix said.

"I can guarantee it'll be great. For one, this place is full of Rock types, which is great for a Grass type like me. Second, that Whiscash will be a total pushover! I'll knock him straight to the top of Snowstorm Summit! Third, I'm with my best friends, and what could be better than that?" he said, smiling a peppy smile.

"Yep! That's the spirit we love in an explorer. You're gonna be great with us!" Cindy said.

"So let's get going. I have a little surprise for that Whis-trash!" Saber smiled, his yellow eyes glinting mischievously.

"Right!" Phoenix said, pumping his wing in the air.

And the trio began the long hike through the dungeon.

Saber turned out to be an invaluable team member. He was very nimble and quick to dodge enemy attacks. He was also quick to attack, and as soon as he saw an opening for a counter-attack, he'd dash forward, ramming into the enemy with every ounce of his strength.

He knew a variety of moves, from Pound and Quick Attack to a strange move called Absorb, which would heal his wounds in addition to harming the enemy. He was so strong that most enemies fell within one or two hits. Of course, Cindy and Phoenix would pitch in whenever they could, but for the most part, Saber was strong enough to handle any challenge by himself.

There seemed to be something he was withholding from them, however. Cindy instinctively knew that Pokémon could know up to four moves at a time, and Saber only used three. Surely he'd have another move by now.

When she confronted him about it, he just smiled a sly smile and said "You'll see…"

After about an hour of hiking up Mt. Brigand, they finally found the outlaw: a massive blue whale with curly whiskers above his mouth. The Whiscash smirked as Cindy approached her, knowing that she was at a huge disadvantage: she was weak to his Ground and Water type moves.

Whiscash started out by spitting out a stream of water at Cindy. Her reactions kicked just in time, and she only barely avoided the attack. A second later and she would've been knocked out. She landed in the dirt a few feet away from the whale.

She tried out her Flame Wheel attack to little avail. Whiscash shook it off, sustaining a few minor burns, but nothing more. Phoenix attacked with his BubbleBeam attack, which did seem to hurt him a bit more, but Whiscash was still standing strong.

He was about to attack them back, but that was before Saber leapt into action.

His hands were aglow with green energy that smelt like grass, forests, sweet-smelling flowers. The energy condensed into a glowing ball of energy between his hands.

"Take _THIS_, Whis-trash!" he cried.

He thrust his hands over at Whiscash, whose eyes had widened in fear. The ball of energy was released from his hands and went soaring at the whale. He tried to dodge it, but his body was too big and bulky. The attack hit him right in the forehead, exploding into a million bits of green light.

The attack was too much for Whiscash, who promptly collapsed onto the ground, his body tinged with the strange smell of seawater and flowers. Saber looked quite proud of himself, as he puffed up his chest and grinned at the fallen whale.

"Energy Ball: my signature attack. I call it 'Doomsday for Water types', which is honestly true. You saw how that Whis-trash reacted when I attacked him. He just fainted at my sheer awesomeness. Cool, huh?" Saber said proudly.

Cindy nodded. "That was really cool. One second later, and I would've been destroyed by that thing! Thanks, Saber."

"Yeah! Thanks, dude! You're the best!" Phoenix said.

"No problem! I can just tell that we're all gonna be great explorers someday!" he said.

Cindy nodded in agreement once more. She was about to raise her hand to her Explorer Badge and teleport back to Center City, but before she could, a terrible feeling gripped her heart.

She felt like she was… left out. Saber was a great explorer; almost too great of an explorer. Now, her and her awesome firebreathing powers were being trampled on by a Mexican Treecko. It felt like Saber should be the leader of the team, not her.

_Oh, Cindy, _her inner conscious chided her. _Don't worry about it. He's a great explorer, you're a great explorer, and Phoenix is a great explorer. This just happens to be a place that's easy for him. You've got places like that, too… Anywhere with Grass and Bug types is a place you're skilled in… So cheer up! Don't just wallow around in your sadness forever!_

She couldn't shake the feeling that that wasn't her voice speaking to her. Perhaps it was someone else, Reuniclus, maybe?

"Anyway, let's get out of here. Trust me, I don't wanna be here any more. Not after what happened last time we were here…" Phoenix shuddered, the memory of Bagon's disfigured body still haunting both of them.

"Sure thing! Let's go, guys. Here's to a job well done!" Saber said, pumping his fist into the air.

The trio touched their Explorer Badges, and in a flash of bright yellow light, they were back home, safe in Center City.

XxX

**Yay! Saber is now an official member of Team Blaze! All the legions of Treecko lovers, rejoice!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review!**


	23. From Bad to Worse

**As you can all probably tell from the title of this chapter, bad stuff starts to happen now. Ooh... scary!**

**I hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 23: From Bad to Worse

"Thanks for apprehending that Whiscash, you guys!" Junior Officer Gabite said.

"It was easy! That Whis-trash was a pushover. I just hit it with an Energy Ball and—BLAM! I tossed him straight into next week. Easy as pie!" Saber said, a confident smirk on his face.

"I'm glad it was easy for you. I'm sure Officer Garchomp would be quite happy if he could see you," Gabite said.

"Speaking of which… where is he? Is he still in Mead Village?" Phoenix asked.

The junior officer didn't answer right away. He looked up to the sky and muttered something under his breath, almost as if he was praying. Then he nodded. "Yep. He's still there. With Dr. Chansey."

He refused to say anything else.

"Oh…" Phoenix said.

"I just hope that we find that cure really soon. I don't want to have to worry about this stupid Pokérus virus," Cindy said.

"Yeah. Same here. Anyway, thanks again, you guys. Here's your reward—350 Poké and a Reviver Seed!" He handed them a handful of several gold coins and a seed that faintly shone in the dying sunlight.

"Thanks, officer," Phoenix said.

"No, thank you! Now, I must be going. See ya!" Junior Officer Gabite turned his back on them and dashed back into the city with surprising speed.

"Nice fellow," Saber commented mildly.

"I sure hope Officer Garchomp is okay… He's a really nice guys, he's always mopping up all the troubles that happen around here…" Phoenix said.

"Yeah… But we can't worry about him now. Our teacher always said, 'just worry about yourself.' So instead of worrying about things that are beyond our control, let's just worry about exploring," Saber said.

"You're quite wise," Cindy said.

"Why, thank you. Anyway, shall we get going?" Saber said.

"Sure! Goodnight, Saber. Thanks for exploring with us!" Phoenix said, beginning the short walk home. Cindy was just about to follow him, but before they could get very far, Saber caught their attention again.

"Hey! Don't go yet!" he cried, darting up to them.

Cindy turned to Saber with a curious expression on her face. "Why? What's up?" she asked.

"Well…" Saber looked embarrassed. "See, I'm an official member of your team now, right? So I was just wondering… Can I stay at your place for a while?"

Cindy and Phoenix looked at each other, briefly considering Saber's strange offer. It wasn't every day that someone insisted on staying at your house.

_I guess it'll be fine. The only other alternative would be sleeping on the grass, and even though he's a really weird guy, I guess it's okay… _Cindy thought.

She turned back to Saber, who was watching her with hopeful eyes.

"What do you think? Can I stay at your place, at least for a while?" he asked.

"Sure, I gue—" Cindy began.

Cindy's statement was interrupted when Saber nearly barreled him over, his legs a green blur. "Okayseeyoulaterguys!" he said as he vanished into the residential district. Soon he was lost in the countless rows of small huts there.

Phoenix turned back to Cindy, his eyes dazed and somewhat unfocused. "Oh… He's fast…" he murmured dizzily.

"You can say that again…" Cindy said.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go after him! He might get lost, you know!" Cindy said, starting to walk toward the residential district.

"Yeah! Let's go!"

Phoenix raced after him, his webbed feet not quite as effective as Saber's long, slender legs. He waddled into the residential district, Cindy plodding behind him.

It didn't take long to find Saber. He was walking down the countless rows of wooden huts, completely lost. He occasionally mumbled something to himself as he walked forward.

"Hey! Saber!" Phoenix cried, calling the Treecko's attention back to him. "Come over here! The house is this way!"

Saber rushed up to them, appearing by their side in the blink of an eye. "Sorry. It's really hard to find your way around here at night. I found you when the sun was high, but now all the houses look the same…" he said.

"I don't blame you. I would've gotten lost if Phoenix here didn't act as a navigator," Cindy said.

Phoenix scratched his head, trying not to look proud of himself. "Well… whatever. Now, let's get going. I'm tired," he said.

Phoenix rerouted Saber and Cindy to his house, which was just as mellow and inconspicuous as ever. He opened the door and led his fellow explorers in.

Cindy took her place on her bed, grateful to finally have a place to rest. Phoenix, however, grabbed the lid off a wooden barrel full of straw.

"If you're gonna stay here," he said as he picked up a large handful of hay, "you're gonna have to have a bed. It may not be as fancy as Hotel Reconnoiter or any other place, but it's home, I guess." He placed the handful of straw on the ground, smoothing it out and making a small circular bed for their new roommate.

Saber smiled and patted Phoenix on the back. "Thanks, bro. I wasn't really looking forward to sleeping on the ground again. Trust me, I've had enough experience with waking up on the ground." He gave a slight chuckle.

"What do you mean?" Cindy asked.

Saber took a long time to respond.

"When I first woke up as a Pokémon… I was in a cave. It was really dark and damp… I looked into a nearby puddle of water… and that's when it hit me: I had turned into a Treecko…" he mused.

Something about those words seemed vaguely familiar to Cindy.

"Meh, I'm sorry. Just an old Treecko's rambling about his crazy past. We don't have time for that! We need to get to sleep if we're gonna have another day of exploration!" He turned to Phoenix, smiling in thanks. "Thanks again. I'm glad I have such kind teammates."

"No problem!" Cindy said. She turned to Phoenix, expecting him to say "No problem" or at least "Good night", but he had already crashed on his bed.

XxX

The next few days passed uneventfully. Cindy, Phoenix, and Saber explored together, taking on dungeons together and basically living the life of exploration teams. The only thing that seemed out of place in their lives was the deadly virus that was sweeping the nation.

Rumors were flying, each one crazier than the last. Everyone was talking about who had supposedly died so far, what areas were affected, what had caused the sudden outbreak. There were more hopeful rumors, however; someone was saying that there was a cure hidden in Medicine Forest, others were saying that certain Pokémon were immune to it, such as Dr. Z, who had spent weeks around infected Pokémon and wasn't showing any signs of the virus.

"I just want this whole thing to blow over," Stick was telling his sister one day. "It's got me on edge. I can barely sleep at night, I'm too scared of you or me being infected…"

More and more Pokémon were disappearing into the Blissey Health Institute. Panic was not uncommon on the streets of the city, and Pokémon all regarded each other warily, as if silently observing for signs of the plague.

Because of the disorder in the city, Team Blaze rarely stayed in Center City. They spent most of their days exploring in mystery dungeons. Sometimes they didn't even pick a job from the Job Board, instead just fleeing to a random dungeon and spending their day training there. They just wanted to escape the panic and worry.

About four days after Saber joined their team, however, things went terribly wrong.

Cindy anxiously shuffled through the streets, which didn't seem as crowded now. Phoenix and Saber followed close behind her, glancing around nervously.

She walked up to the Kecleon Shop, her eyes scanning the town for any signs of Pokérus. The Kecleons were oddly not infected, which was, needless to say, strange, but it was quite relieving that they were still there.

As Cindy approached them, she noticed they were oddly lacking in their usual bright "salesman smiles". Now they looked quite sullen, a glazed over look in their eyes.

"Hello," Cindy said lightly, trying to brighten up the mood. "Why the long faces, guys?"

"We're having a closing sale today. We're gonna have to close down soon; we can't risk infecting anyone," the green Kecleon said sadly.

"WHAT?!" Phoenix cried, astounded.

"Nurse Blissey and Junior Officer Gabite insisted that we close down. They said that it's too much of a risk to continue selling our products. We don't want to waste anything, so for today only, we'll have a super sale: everything is 75 percent off," the purple Kecleon said, lacking in his usual verve.

"But… but…" Cindy said, at a loss for words.

"We're sorry. Once all this blows over, we'll open back up again. We promise," the green Kecleon promised.

"Well, it's a good thing we've been stockpiling at the Kangaskhan Storage. We've got a bunch of extra Berries, Seeds, and other items. We should be fine," Phoenix said.

"Ah, yes. You don't have to worry about Miss Kangaskhan closing down her shop. She's a hardy fellow; she won't let a little bug stop her from doing her job!" the purple Kecleon said, a faint hint of a smile on his face.

"But still." Cindy fished out a handful of glimmering gold Poké. "You can never be too safe, can you? We'll take everything that you think will be useful!"

They left a few minutes later, Cindy's Explorer Bag stuffed with a few Seeds and Wonder Orbs. They had also bought a Pecha Scarf for Saber. It was a pink bandana that would supposedly protect him from being poisoned.

"It may not exactly be my style, but it works for me! Trust me, you do _not_ wanna get poisoned. That's a little something I learned the hard way…" Saber shuddered and rubbed his stomach.

"Anyway, where should we go exploring today?" Phoenix asked.

Before Cindy could reply, she was interrupted by a sudden purplish blur rushing past her. Junior Officer Gabite pushed past them with a panicked "Excuse me!"

He raced up to the Blissey Health Institute and banged on the door, his clawed hand rapping the wood repeatedly.

Audino, the kind receptionist, opened the door with a concerned expression on her face.

"My, my, young one! What seems to be the issue?" she said, flustered.

"I—need—to—see—Dr.—Z!" he panted breathlessly.

"Oh? I'm sorry, but you may not enter. There's too much of a risk for—" Audino began.

"Get him out here, then! I just got an urgent memo from Miss Kirlia in Mead Village saying to get Dr. Z immediately, and as a junior officer, I intend to follow it straightaway! Go on, get him!" he snapped.

Audino backed away, quite flustered by his sudden outburst. "O-okay… I'll be right back," she said, backing away back into the pink building.

"Hurry up! It's urgent!" he cried, holding his clawed hands to his head.

Cindy turned to her companions, who were watching the scene unfold with wide eyes. "What do you think that could've been about?" she asked.

"Gee, I can only wonder. What happened last time we were at Mead Village? Right, an innocent young Togepi caught a deadly virus and is now condemned to death! For all we know, the whole village could be infected now!" Phoenix snapped.

Saber was quite calm about the whole situation, however. "Mead Village? Oh, do you mean that quaint little town past Moorland Hill?"

"Yes! Why would you ask something like that now?!" Phoenix said, now thoroughly panicking.

"Well, after my transformation—"

"Oh, thank Arceus!"

Dr. Z had emerged from the building, pausing to straighten his glasses. Nurse Blissey followed close behind him. He noted the panicked state of Gabite with a nod.

"Hello, chap! What seems to be the issue?" he asked.

"Mead Village—I just got a memo from Miss Kirlia there… it's not good, trust me!" Gabite gasped.

"Oh, dear…" Nurse Blissey whispered, clapping her hands over her mouth.

"The whole city's on lockdown. Nearly everyone's got Pokérus. Miss Kirlia just got it yesterday. A bunch of fatalities. Most recent death was a Machoke…" Gabite panted.

Dr. Z's eyes widened. "Dear me, that is quite an urgent memo…" he said.

"And even worse—Officer Garchomp's infected… He's had it for about a week now," Gabite said, genuine worry in his eyes.

Phoenix teetered, threatening to fall over. "No… Not Officer Garchomp… Crime will get completely out of hand if he dies…"

"There won't be any crime to commit if everyone's dead," Cindy whispered.

"Miss Kirlia insisted that you go to the village at once!" Gabite completed.

"Mmm… But what about the Blissey Health Institute? Who'll look after it during my absence?" he asked.

Gabite sighed, giving him a frustrated look. "Nurse Blissey. Duh!"

Dr. Z sighed, looking from the building to Gabite and back again. He opened his beak to answer, but before he could, he caught Cindy's eye. He started, as if he had just gotten a revelation.

"I will go to the village with you. However, before we depart, I must say something to my young friends over there…" he said.

"But sir—" Gabite began.

Dr. Z didn't stop to listen. Instead, he hovered over to Cindy, Phoenix, and Saber.

"Dr. Z, have you been acquainted with—" Phoenix started, gesturing to Saber.

"Salvador Gonzales, also known as Saber? Yes. I know him. Besides, we don't have time for introductions. I need to tell you guys something…" Dr. Z whispered hurriedly.

Cindy's stomach dropped. If a doctor had gone out of his way to tell them something, then there was no way it would be good.

Her fears were confirmed when Dr. Z put on a grim frown and said "It's about Team Eeveelution."

"No… no no no no no no no no no no… please… don't tell us…" Phoenix mumbled.

Cindy wasn't feeling much better. Her stomach was in knots and her heart rate had accelerated. She found herself hoping, praying that they were still okay…

"Are they dead?" she said, her voice barely rising above a whisper.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The world blurred, and Cindy found that she was tearing up. She didn't want them to die. She didn't want them to be dead. Despite her tears, which were now silently streaming down her face, she forced herself to look into Dr. Z's wide yellow eyes.

"Are they?" she repeated.

"…No."

Cindy felt as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulder. They weren't dead. Katie was alive. Travis was alive. Grant was alive. They were all still alive.

For now.

"However, they're all very bad. Katie especially, though we don't know why. It seems to be something in her immune system…" Dr. Z said sullenly. "I estimate that they all have around two weeks."

"Doctor! Please hurry!" Gabite called. He had already raced to the exit to the town and was now dancing in place impatiently.

"Just a second, sir!" Dr. Z said. He turned back to Team Blaze with a strained look on his face. "One more thing… Your friends… what were their names? Emile and Jade?"

Phoenix screamed out loud. Several heads turned to him, but he was too panicked to care. His eyes began to tear up, and he collapsed to the floor, not wanting to hear the rest.

"NONONONONONONONO! NOT TEAM AURA TOO!" he screeched. "PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE! PLEASE NO! NO! NONONONO!"

"Calm down, Phoenix! Calm down!" Cindy snapped, trying to pull him up off the ground. He was flailing so much that she couldn't get him up, however.

"Don't worry, Phoenix, don't worry! Your friends came in the other day. I think… Jade reported having a very high fever. However—"

"NO! THAT'S A SIGN OF POKÉRUS! THEY'LL BE DEAD IN A WEEK!" Phoenix yelled.

"Yes, that is a sign of Pokérus. But—"

"Please… Oh, Arceus, please…" Phoenix moaned.

"Just listen!"

"Doctor!"

Gabite was growing quite impatient now. He was furiously pacing back and forth, his head in his clawed hands. "Dr. Z, we don't have any more time! We need to get going _now_!" he cried.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming, Officer!" Dr. Z began to hover away from the overreacting Phoenix.

"No! Tell us! How long do they have to live?!" Phoenix cried.

"It's not Pokérus! It's just a common fever!" Dr. Z cried as he followed Gabite away. "They'll be fine! Team Aura will be fi—"

"Enough talk! Let's go!" Gabite demanded.

Dr. Z was still intent on telling them something, and Gabite eventually had to resort to pulling him by the arm. He still frantically yelled something back to them, but he was out of earshot before he could finish his sentence.

Phoenix stared at the point where Dr. Z had vanished for a long time. Then he let loose a sob and rested his head on Cindy's shoulders.

"I'm scared… I don't want any more Pokémon to die…" he said quietly.

"It'll be fine, Phoenix. I'm sure there's a cure somewhere out there; we just need to find it. In the meantime, we just need to pray to Arceus. I'm sure he'll help us get through this…" Cindy said reassuringly.

Phoenix sniffed, raising his head a fraction of an inch off her shoulder. "But… what if there isn't a cure? What if everyone we know and love dies?"

"We can't think negative about this whole situation, Phoenix!" Saber said.

"Yeah! Don't forget what Nurse Blissey said a few weeks back: 'Worry will take us nowhere but down.' We can't keep worrying about this! We need to keep our heads high and hope for the best!" Cindy added.

"The only time that we're all truly doomed is when all hope for a better future runs out. If no one has any hope left, then what's the point of living?" Saber said wisely.

"So trust us: just keep our heads high, and we'll all get through okay. Got that, bro?" Cindy said.

Phoenix blearily raised his head, his eyes still shining with tears. "C-Cindy… Saber…" he said shakily.

Before either Pokémon could say anything more, Phoenix grabbed them all in a massive group hug. He squeezed them all tightly, not feeling any embarrassment, despite all the Pokémon who were watching. Saber and Cindy were his friends, nothing more.

"Oh man… oh man oh man oh man… Thanks, guys… You're the best teammates ever…" Phoenix said quietly.

"Oh no, we aren't just your teammates… we're your friends," Cindy said.

Phoenix nodded silently and continued to sob into Cindy's shoulder.

For the next few minutes, the young explorers stood locked in an embrace, unaware of all the Pokémon who were watching them. It was like nothing could go wrong in the world for Cindy and her teammates, no, her _friends_.

But just as luck had it, one stubborn brute just had to step in and try to spoil the moment.

"Ha! You guys are hugging? What are you, four years old? Gahahaha!"

It was Terrakion.

They broke away from their embrace and turned to face the formidable Pokémon. For once, he was smiling, but his smile was more of a snarky grin than a smile.

"Do ya three dunces have any idea about how wrong this looks? Hugging each other in public! Everyone can see ya. If ya wanna hug and otherwise make a fool of yourselves, kindly refrain from doin' so in public. Go home! Take your lovey-dovey stuff to your rundown shack ya call a home! Go on, go home and snuggle with your _girlfriend_!" he sneered.

Cindy felt anger explode in her. She was Saber and Phoenix's friend. She _wasn't_ involved in any love relationships with them. They were on the same exploration team. That was it. That was the only "relationship" they shared.

She was about to let out a cry of defiance and anger, but before she could, Saber calmly stepped in between them, a tiny smile gracing his face.

"Yes, yes, you're both pretty, ladies. Now stop arguing," he said, lazily waving his hand. "What did you just call me?!" Terrakion bellowed.

"Hey, Terrakion? Do the world a favor and shut up and go back to your explorations, okay? Oh wait, are you even an explorer? Do you do anything except stomp around angrily in the hotel and bug people all day?" he continued.

"You've sure got some nerve, taunting me like that," Terrakion said, a threatening edge to his rough voice.

"You've sure got some nerve, continuing this conversation long after we stopped caring," Saber retorted.

"I'm warning ya—"

"C'mon, guys. Let's go. All he's got is a couple of weak threats to combat my awesome sarcasm. I'm sure it's obvious that I win this debate," Saber said coolly.

"Yeah. Let's go. We have better things to do than sit around and talk to this piece of trash all day," Phoenix agreed, his normally cheerful mood slowly but surely returning.

Cindy nodded, the anger inside her deflating like a punctured balloon. She began the short walk to the Job Board, her head hung high. Even though she had just been taunted by Terrakion again, she felt quite happy that Saber's quick thinking had saved them.

"Hey, while you're out exploring…"

Was it just Cindy's imagination? Or did she hear a slight softness sneak into Terrakion's tones?

"Just watch your backs. Ya never know when someone might sneak up on ya…"

This statement contained no threat or harshness. It was just a simple statement that many explorers had heard: watch your back.

He heaved a great sigh and lumbered off to Talented Tavern, leaving nothing but his oversized footprints in the dirt behind him.

XxX

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review.**

**(I'm sorry, I don't really feel like writing out a witty joke or anything at the end this time.)**


	24. The True Villain

**Lots of stuff is getting revealed in this chapter. That means that you should prepare for long paragraph walls.**

**Be very afraid.**

Chapter 24: The True Villain

_That night, Cindy had another dream._

_ She was back in the swirling mist place again, but this time, it seemed… different than before. It felt like someone was watching her from above. She turned around, frantically looking around for anything out of the ordinary, but she saw nothing out of the ordinary._

_ "Reuniclus? Are you there?" Cindy asked, now used to seeing the familiar gelatinous Pokémon in her dreams._

_ As if on cue, the familiar green blob appeared before her and expanded into Reuniclus. Her familiar green body was still encased in what looked like green Jell-O. The only thing that seemed different about her was the expression on her face._

_ Instead of the mysterious yet kind look on her face, she looked… almost terrified. Perhaps she felt the mysterious feeling that someone was silently observing them._

_**"Hello, Miss Brandt," **__she said. Cindy could've sworn she heard a slight waver in her misty voice._

_ "Hey," Cindy said. "Say… do you feel that? It feels like someone is watching us…"_

**_ "Very good, Cindy. Yes, someone is watching us. He's been silently observing my every move, making sure that nothing like this happens…" _**_she mused._

_ "Who? Who are you talking about?" Cindy asked._

_ Reuniclus glanced around as if looking for the mysterious Pokémon that may have been observing them. When she turned to face Cindy, her face was even more worried than before._

_**"No… He's watching us now. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to break the connection. I've said too much."**__ She cursed under her breath._

_ The world around her began to slowly fade into blackness. Reuniclus vanished, leaving only a fuzzy green shape hanging in the fading world…_

_ "No! Wait! Don't leave yet!" she cried._

_**"I have enough strength to appear in your world tomorrow. He can't watch me there. I'll tell you everything tomorrow, I promise," **__Reuniclus promised._

_ "No… Please… Tell me now…" Cindy said, her voice a faint whisper. But her words were heard by no one… The world was gone… Reuniclus was gone… Everything was black…_

_**"Goodbye, Miss Brandt. Sweet dreams…"**__ the faint voice of Reuniclus said._

_ The world went black, and Cindy felt herself falling, descending into a deep, dreamless sleep…_

XxX

Soft, golden light flooded through Cindy's eyes. The peaceful twittering of birds rang in her ears, and their soft chirruping gently lifted her from her slumber. She rolled around on her bed of straw, feeling quite at peace.

Cindy wanted to stay on her bed forever. She wanted to lay there with her eyes closed and listen to the peaceful sounds of birds. She wanted to forget everything and descend into her own private world of peace.

She wanted to rinse the terrible memories of yesterday from her mind…

Before she could stop herself, the painful memories of yesterday flooded her mind, rinsing her in despair. Team Eeveelution, her friends… they were going to die. Jade, Emile, her friends… her fellow human-turned-Pokémon… they were also at risk. Mead Village was on lockdown. So many kind and innocent Pokémon were going to die…

Cindy flopped back down, her whole body feeling empty and hollow. She tried to find a speck of positive to counter all the negative, finally thinking that she, Phoenix, and Saber didn't seem to have Pokérus…

_Ah, but is that really a good thing? You get to watch all your friends die while you live. Terrible, huh? Maybe you should die too… That way, you'll be with them…_

Her inner demon squashed any feeble attempt to think positive.

She let loose a choked sob and covered her eyes with her hands, feeling tears start to form. Her body shook and she let loose another sob.

_Why?! Why is my life so miserable?! Why can't we just live the life of a normal exploration team? Why does all this happen?! Why?! WHY?!_

"There there, don't cry, young one."

Cindy looked up, so surprised that she nearly stopped crying. She had heard that voice many times before. In fact, she had heard it just last night…

Hovering above her was a flickering green image, like a hologram or… a ghost. She didn't need to think twice about who it was.

Reuniclus had finally arrived in the physical world.

"Wah! Wh-what are you doing here?!" Cindy shrieked, scotching away from the ghostly projection.

"Relax, Miss Brandt. It's just me. I'm so glad to finally be in the physical world!" Reuniclus stretched her jelly-covered arms and grinned.

"Miss Reuniclus!"

Saber had awoken at the pleasant sound of Reuniclus's misty voice. He gasped and sat bolt upright, his yellow eyes wide.

"Ah, Saber! I'm so glad to see you!" Reuniclus said sunnily.

"I'm glad to see you too, miss! I would hug you, but considering that you're a ghost…" Saber chuckled.

"That's quite understandable. Now, you should probably wake up your young friend, Phoenix. I have a feeling that he's gonna like what I say," Reuniclus said.

Cindy nodded, still not quite over the shock of having a ghost appear in their house. She shuffled over to Phoenix and lightly tapped him. He screamed and let out an incomprehensible string of words before finally calming down.

"Whuh—! Who—my—bluh!" he blustered.

"Calm down, Phoenix, it's okay. We've just got a friendly ghost in our house, that's it," Cindy said, smiling at the crazed expression on his face.

"Oh. If that's all, then I'm going back to sleep." He crashed on his bed once more before sitting back upright once he realized what Cindy's words actually meant. "WAAAAAAH! A g-g-ghost?!"

Cindy and Saber broke into bales of laughter. Even Reuniclus cracked a smile.

"Don't worry, Phoenix. I won't haunt you or anything," she said with a smile.

Phoenix heaved a sigh of relief. "Whew! That's good." Then he gasped, his eyes widening. "Wait… You're Reuniclus?! The one that's always in our dreams?! How are you here?!" he gasped.

"My dear, did you not remember anything I talked about last night? About the one who was watching us?" Reuniclus asked.

Phoenix scratched his head, trying to remember. "Um… oh yeah! Yeah, I guess…"

"I promised you that I'd tell you everything today, when he couldn't observe me. And I intend to do so right now," Reuniclus said.

"What are you going to tell us about?" Cindy asked.

"I happen to know quite a bit about Pokérus. I know how it started, I know how it spreads… and if my hunch is correct, I believe I know how it can be cured," she said.

Cindy gasped, her stomach giving an uncomfortable jolt of excitement. If Reuniclus was correct, this gelatinous ghost could save everyone, including Team Eeveelution. She sat forward, eager to hang onto every word that she was going to say.

"You do?! Tell us now! Tell us tell us tell us tell us!" Phoenix squealed, hopping up and down excitedly.

"Yes! How do you cure it?" Cindy added.

Reuniclus paused, rubbing her chin. Her ghostly projection flickered. "Well… If I were to tell you the cure, I would have to tell you a lot of other things first… I hope you'll be okay with that…" she said.

"I don't care if it takes you a whole day to explain! Tell us!" Phoenix said impatiently.

Cindy nudged her companion in the side and whispered "Be patient!" He nodded and hastily covered his beak with his wings.

"Yes. I suppose I'd better start from the beginning… Well, it all started several months ago, when a Pokémon called Deoxys went rogue. See, Deoxys is supposedly an extraterrestrial being that came from a space meteor. He was created from a broken strand of mutated DNA, and because of this, he has complete control over illnesses and viruses. Sometimes, he's known as the Bringer of Disease, due to this ability," Reuniclus began.

"Oh! So let me guess, this whole thing is because of him?" Phoenix guessed.

"Shh! She's not finished yet!" Cindy hissed.

"Many years ago, perhaps even centuries ago, Deoxys let loose a terrible disease on this land. Eyewitness accounts say that the symptoms of that disease were quite similar to the one we're facing now: your skin gets all blemished, your eyes swell, your energy fades away… and then you just… die. It was a very stressful time for everyone. The death toll mounted higher and higher… Soon, the whole population of this land was down to only a hundred or so…" she continued.

Cindy gulped, her throat suddenly feeling restricted. It was terrible that this cataclysm had happened before. She could hardly imagine it; for some reason, it seemed that the first time around was even more terrifying than this time.

"But then, just as all seemed lost… a bright light shone down from the heavens. Two new Pokémon emerged from the light. Their names… were Latios and Latias."

Cindy's stomach gave another jolt. She remembered a legend that Katie had told them a few weeks back: Latios and Latias were once both humans, but then they died and were reincarnated as Pokémon… could that be true?

"Latios and Latias were both humans that had been reincarnated into Pokémon at the wish of their parents. Jirachi, the wish fulfilling Pokémon, heard their prayers and turned them into Pokémon. Jirachi stuck with them; he spoke in their minds as I did with Saber, warning them of the danger of the virus. They seemed to be strangely immune to this virus, which was essential for calming down Deoxys," Reuniclus continued.

"So… they defeated him, right?" Phoenix said uncertainly.

"In a way. They thought they defeated him. He certainly was unable to continue plaguing the world with his virus. So Latios and Latias returned home… and that's when something truly amazing happened."

Reuniclus paused, waiting for her words to sink in. It was certainly a bewildering tale that Reuniclus had told them, it had certainly seemed impossible for something this strange to happen. But now that she had turned into a firebreathing shrew, she was starting to think that anything was possible now.

"What?! What was it?!" Phoenix said impatiently.

"It's… hard to explain… sorry…" Reuniclus said, her holographic image turning fuzzy and flickering.

Cindy could've sworn that Reuniclus had given her a sideways look as she spoke.

"Long story short, we could all continue living peacefully without any worries of the virus. We slowly rebuilt society, and for several centuries, we thrived, the painful memories of the virus slowly fading… Mind you, this is all just legend that I've heard during my travels, so it may not be true…" Reuniclus added.

Cindy, Phoenix, and Saber all sat silently in the room, absorbing the details of Reuniclus's spiel. It was quite a bit to take in, but from what Cindy could figure, Latios and Latias had saved the world from this mysterious virus, which was presumably Pokérus.

"Hold on… You said Latios and Latias were resistant to Pokérus… do you happen to know why?" Cindy asked.

"Nobody really knows for sure, but I think… I think it was because they were once humans," Reuniclus said.

Saber and Cindy gasped. Phoenix looked enviously at them, possibly wishing that he had that immunity that they apparently had.

"What do you mean? Humans are susceptible to disease too! Didn't Cindy have leukemia as a human?" Saber said, glancing at Cindy.

_Leukemia? What's that? _Cindy thought.

Her question was instantly answered by Reuniclus, whose image was starting to grow fuzzier now. "It's a disease in the human world that's quite similar to Pokérus. It's quite deadly, though there are some desperate measure one can take to survive."

"Oh."

So she had been infected with a deadly disease before any of this could happen. Great.

"Yes, it's true that humans can still pick up diseases, however, humans can build up immunities to diseases as well. So I thought that perhaps that immunity carried over during the transformation to a Pokémon. That's why Latios and Latias could stand up against Deoxys," Reuniclus said.

"You think that's why we haven't picked it up, despite all the times we've been in proximity to infected Pokémon?" Cindy asked.

"It's a theory," Reuniclus said, spreading her arms out wide.

"But why haven't I been infected? I'm not a human-turned-Pokémon, but I've still been around infected Pokémon… why?" Phoenix asked.

Reuniclus opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, her already fuzzy image began to get fuzzier. She began to fade into the air.

Reuniclus struggled to talk, to breathe, to do anything. She wasn't the only one; a cold chill of air blasted through the room, chilling Cindy to the bone. She tried to draw in breath but felt a pressure mount on her chest, as if someone was sitting on her. She couldn't breathe. All she could do was open and close her mouth like a fish gasping for breath.

"No… please…" Reuniclus moaned as her image slowly faded.

The pressure on her chest mounted higher and higher. Cindy could feel herself going faint, her head spinning, her vision slowly fading to black. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit the side of her mouth, hoping the pain could distract her from the mounting pressure, but to no avail…

Soon the entire room had gone black, her brain finally giving in from the lack of oxygen. The last thing she felt was her head hitting the ground.

A low moan escaped her lips, and everything went dark…

XxX

It seemed like centuries had passed since Cindy had passed out, though it was only a few hours. Now the sun was blazing high in the mid-afternoon sky, and not a cloud was to be seen. It would've been a very peaceful afternoon… if it weren't for the suffering that Cindy had gone through.

As she slowly came to, she was aware that she could breathe again. It took quite a bit of effort to breathe, and when she released her breath, she wheezed a little at the end, like she had a breathing problem. Still, it was better than before, when she couldn't breathe at all.

The pressure on her chest had also eased a little, though it was still too much to be comfortable. Rubbing her eyes blearily, Cindy half-walked, half-crawled to the door, passing by her unconscious comrades on her way. Their breathing was also ragged and wheezy, so it looked like they appeared to be suffering under the same effects that she was.

Cindy reached toward the door handle, which she could barely reach. She turned the handle…

Warm air rushed into the tiny hut, and to her, it felt like a breath of life. Her heavy breathing was slowly eased and the pressure was relieved with every intake of air. The sun shone down on her, filling the young Cyndaquil with energy, with life.

She flopped down on the dusty ground, not out of exhaustion, but so that she could simply lay there and relax for a while. For the next half hour, Cindy laid outside the house, her eyes closed, her chest rising only slightly. She let the sounds of nature and the beautiful world around her take her away and ease her pain.

Soon she felt that she was ready to think about Reuniclus's words. If her theory was correct, that meant that she, Saber, and Emile were immune to Pokérus, or at least resistant to it. Phoenix also seemed to be "immune", but that made no sense, as he wasn't ever a human. How was he immune…?

She wasn't complaining; this meant that her closer friends were out of immediate danger. But that still didn't change the fact that Katie, Travis, and Grant were still ailing. They didn't have any immunity.

"Cindy! Cindy, are you okay?!"

Saber's panicked voice brought her out of her world of simple thoughts. It seemed that Saber had arisen from his sleep, and from the breathless gasps that also reached her ears, it seemed that Phoenix had awoken as well.

Cindy looked up. Her muscles still protested at any movement she tried to make, but she was at least strong enough to do this. She opened her eye blearily.

"Hey…" she murmured.

"Are you okay?! We woke up and found you collapsed outside the door! Oh Arceus, we were worried!" Phoenix gasped.

"Nah, I'm fine, I'm fine. I woke up and felt all weird, but when I stepped out to take a breath of fresh air, I felt better. How about you? You okay?" she said.

"We're fine. We're feeling better too," Phoenix said.

He reached down and helped Cindy off the dusty ground. She brushed the dirt off her body and stretched her tired muscles, but even that simple gesture exhausted her greatly.

"Do you think you're well enough to explore today?" Saber asked.

"I…" Cindy took a step forward and nearly collapsed. Her legs were still too weak to take her far. Phoenix steadied her, helping her not fall flat on her face.

"Obviously not…" Phoenix said.

"Can we just take a break for today?" Cindy requested.

It was a strange question, one an explorer would almost never answer. It wasn't the right thing to do, all explorers were supposed to press on in spite of their injuries. Cindy, however, felt that pressing on wouldn't be good for her already weak health.

Saber and Phoenix didn't hesitate to nod. "Sure. We're exhausted too, even if it doesn't seem like it. All I wanna do is just lie down and take a nap." Phoenix laughed weakly.

"But… It's not right! Explorers don't just give up like this!" Cindy said. She had at least expected Phoenix to encourage her instead of just giving up like this.

"Trust me, there's no shame in a break. During my first few days as a Treecko, I didn't explore too much. I just had to get used to the fact that I was a leafy green lizard before I could even consider exploring," Saber said.

"Don't worry, Cindy. It's fine! Just come inside now, we'll munch on some apples. Maybe they'll make us feel better!" Phoenix said.

_Count on him to go straight to the food, _Cindy thought.

She nodded and began to drag herself into the home.

It was the first (and last) time that Team Blaze would ever take a break from exploring.

XxX

**Oh boy. Now we know that Deoxys is the main villain and stuff. Ooh!**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review!**


	25. Saber's Scar

**I'm going to take a break from the story and reveal a little bit about Saber and Cindy's backstory in this chapter.**

**You know what that means, right? Long, boring exposition paragraphs! It's everyone's favorite thing! (Not.)**

**Also, I'm going to update once every two days from now on. Every other day was too stressful for me. So I guess I'll see you on Thursday!**

Chapter 25: Saber's Scar

Saber laid down on his bed, staring at the roof above him. He couldn't go to sleep that night. Perhaps it was because of Reuniclus's sudden influx of information. It had been more than enough to keep anyone awake. Perhaps it was the pain he had gone through today. Even though he was still feeling better, he barely had an ounce of strength left and it still felt like his lungs were being crushed.

But maybe it was because of a different kind of pain.

His long, jagged scar was hurting again. It prickled his shoulder like he was rubbing up against a cactus. It was starting to hurt even more now.

He had never complained about the pains in his scar. It usually wasn't too bad, and he always hid his prickly pain behind a bright smile. But now it seemed to hurt more than ever. He wanted to rouse his sleeping teammates and complain about the prickling, but he just shook his head and closed his eyes, trying to go to sleep.

He couldn't, though; he just had too much on his mind.

He was busy thinking about what Reuniclus had said, what was going to happen to all the Pokémon in the world… But most of all, he was thinking about his own crazy past.

He remembered it like it was yesterday, even though it had happened many months ago…

XxX

"Class! Class! If I could have your attention, please!"

Miss Patricia, the kind blond science teacher, cleared her throat, demanding attention. Her seventh grade class stopped goofing around and turned to their teacher, looking bored or impatient.

Miss Patricia smiled at the small boy standing next to her. He definitely stood out in a crowd, with his dark skin, dark hair, and striking green eyes. Instead of wearing something sensible, such as a T-shirt or jeans, he was wearing baggy shorts and a knit poncho. He looked down at his feet, not wanting to look at the class.

"I would like you to meet our new student: Salvador Gonzales! He just moved here from the fantastic country of Mexico!" Miss Patricia said. "I want all of you to make Salvador feel welcome here. Even if he may look different, he is a very kind kid at heart!"

The class obediently nodded, a few murmuring greetings to the new kid. Near the back of the room, three mutinous boys began whispering to each other.

"Would you like to say anything, Salvador?" Miss Patricia said, her tone kind and welcoming.

Salvador nodded only slightly, not looking up at the teacher. "Hello…" he murmured, his voice barely rising above a whisper.

One tall girl with long red hair smiled and said, "Hello, Salvador. It's nice to meet you!"

"I expect only the best from you. Show our new friend the Wimberley school spirit! Am I clear?" Her last words were directed to the mutinous kids near the back, who were still whispering amongst themselves.

"Yes, Miss Patricia," one boy said.

"Very good!"

A loud bell rang through the hallway, signifying the time to change classes. "Okay, students! You know the drill! Gather your supplies and get going! Don't dawdle around; there's learning to do!" Miss Patricia said.

Some students nodded in assent and began to gather up their pencils, books, and other school supplies. The majority of students, however, began to talk about the strange new kid.

"Have you ever seen someone that weird?"

"Look at his dress sense! Ponchos are so ten years ago!"

"Isn't he just ugly? I bet he can't even string two words together!"

"All of you! Stop it!"

The red haired girl had appeared beside the gossipers, her books in her hands. The look on her face was one of mixed sadness and anger.

One boy, a tall, husky student with dark eyes glittering with malice, turned to the girl. "Ooh! Look, boys! It looks like Cindy has a new boyfriend!"

"You're in love with a stupid Mexican boy who doesn't even have a good dress sense?! Hah! Man, just when we thought you couldn't get any stupider!" another boy said.

"He is not my boyfriend!" Cindy cried. "All of you, shut up! Especially you, Rick!"

"He isn't, huh? Why are you defending him, then?" Rick asked.

"You should always respect someone, even if he isn't exactly who you expected!" Cindy cried.

Rick opened his mouth to make another snarky comment back, but before he could, Miss Patricia swooped down like a golden eagle. "Is there a problem over here, boys?"

"No, Miss Patricia," Rick said, nettled.

"Good! Now, you boys should get going. You know how Ms. Rosemary is when you're late to class," she said.

He gave the redhead a long stare of hatred and walked away, his nasty friends sticking their tongues out at her.

Cindy smiled at their retreating backs, a sense of self-accomplishment filling her. _Man, those guys are terrible, aren't they? Just as long as they don't go teasing Salvador…_

"Cindy! Class is about to start!" Miss Patricia screeched.

She looked around the room and found that she was the only one in there. The desks, which were occupied only minutes earlier, were now vacant. Only a few pencils and scraps of paper were left.

"Yes, Miss Patricia," she mumbled.

Cindy rushed out the door, pausing only to brush a strand of red hair out of her face.

Heads turned to Salvador as he slowly walked down the hall. A few people whispered to themselves, there was no doubt they were up to no good. Most just stared, but the disgusted look on their faces were enough to say they disliked the new kid.

Cindy promised herself that she would deal with them later. Then she rushed off to her English class, thinking about nothing but Salvador Gonzales.

Much to his dismay, Salvador's schedule contained only one class with the kind redhead girl: math. It was taught by Mr. Jeffery, and based on the comments he heard from his fellow peers, he was a very mean teacher. He gave detentions for seemingly no reason and would go ballistic if you talked out of turn.

Then again, his other classes were pretty bad too. The teachers never seemed to notice all the funny stares and mocking smiles Salvador was getting. His other classmates talked about him behind his back, yet the teacher didn't notice a thing.

He couldn't concentrate on his work; everyone was too busy making fun of him. He couldn't focus to the teachers; every time he tried to listen to her, he'd get distracted by some kid making a rude gesture at him. He would leave each period feeling worse than he had felt before he entered.

Finally, the dreaded sixth period came. Math.

He lined up at Mr. Jeffery's door and caught a glimpse of the redheaded girl talking with a small blonde dressed in a flowing white shirt. She caught his eye and winked.

"I'm sorry, Sadie, but I'm going to have to go now. Mr. Jeffery's waiting, and trust me, I don't wanna get on his bad side," she said with a giggle.

"Okay. See you later, Cindy! Tell Salvador I said hi!" Sadie said.

Salvador perked up once he heard Sadie's words. He smiled for the first time that day and waved at the blond girl, giving her a thin smile. She returned the smile and waved back.

Cindy walked up to Salvador, her expression kind and welcoming. "Hello, Salvador! How's your day been?" she asked.

He shook his head, giving her a frown. He didn't know too much English, not even after English class, but apparently his gestures were enough. Cindy's expression turned sad.

"It's been a hard day?" she asked.

Salvador nodded. "Hard," he repeated, the word sounding strange in his mouth. He was used to speaking Spanish, his native language. English was going to take a long time to pick up on.

"I'm sorry, but it's just gonna get harder from here. Mr. Jeffery is a really mean teacher. Just… don't get on his bad side, okay?" Cindy cautioned.

Salvador nodded, trying to mirror her words. "O… kay…" he said slowly, struggling on even that simple word.

"Hey! Get your butts in here, kids! We don't have all day to wait for you!"

It was Mr. Jeffery. He was a middle-aged man with huge glasses, a plaid shirt, and a huge frown on his face.

"Sorry, sir. I was just helping out our new student. His name is—" Cindy apologized.

"Yes yes, Miss Patricia has told me about the new kid. Nice to meet you. I'm Mr. Jeffery, and if you wanna know what's good for you, you'd get in the classroom and take your seats before I get really angry!" Mr. Jeffery snapped.

Cindy nodded and scurried away into the room, nearly dropping her books in her haste. Salvador followed her in, not taking his eyes off the ground.

Many people snickered as Salvador and Cindy walked into the room. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Salvador realized that Rick, the world-class jerk, was also in this class. He sighed. This was going to be a long lesson.

He took one of the only empty seats, right next to a few girls who didn't look at all pleased at his arrival. Cindy sat down at the opposite end of the room, sighing as she put her books away.

Mr. Jeffery marched in, his frown even more grumpy now. He eyed the students in the room with a menacing glare, as if telling them who was the boss here.

"Take out yesterday's homework. If you don't have it, come see me after class, and we'll arrange your detention." His frown abruptly changed into a nasty grin, his yellowed teeth showing through his lips.

Everyone silently nodded. They grabbed their backpacks and began to frantically dig around in it, their faces full of worry. Some kids had their homework, pulling it out with a nervous cheer. Most of them, including Cindy, didn't have their homework. Cindy let out an audible sigh. One girl even burst into tears.

"Kathleen? Do you really want to have to go and see Principal Judith? I'm sure you wouldn't like that…" Mr. Jeffery said, flashing a nasty smile at her.

Kathleen let out a tiny squeak and shrunk down into her seat. "N-no, sir… I'm sorry…" she mumbled.

"If you really were sorry, you'd stop your blubbering and sit upright," he growled.

Kathleen nodded, hastily drying off her tears. She sat straight upright and forced herself to stare right into his eyes. "Yes sir," she squeaked.

"Now, don't start crying again or I'll send you right down to Principal Judith. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. You got that?" he snarled.

Kathleen nodded silently.

Mr. Jeffery picked up the homework, swooping around the class like a vulture and snapping their papers up. He passed by Salvador like he didn't even exist.

_Perhaps this is a good thing_, he thought. He didn't want to have to suffer under the menacing glare of the teacher again.

Once he was finished picking up homework, he resumed his place at the front of the class. His scowl turned deeper. "Now… let's get down to business."

The rest of the class was terrible. Salvador didn't understand anything that was being taught. He didn't understand what "proportions" were, what "simplifying" was, and how to "calculate ratios". Most of the time he didn't pay attention to the teacher, instead keeping his eyes fixed on Cindy or the clock. Time seemed to be crawling in this classroom, the second hand slowly ticking by like a snail.

Mr. Jeffrey sent one kid to the principal's office that period. He had smarted off to the rude math teacher. Salvador could at least understand that, if you were rude to a teacher, you should be punished. But still… Mr. Jeffery should've comforted Kathleen when she was crying instead of threatening to send her to the principal's office.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime in Mr. Jeffrey's math room, the final bell rang. There was a rush to get out of the stifling classroom, and in all the bustle, Salvador got pushed past and trampled.

Rick even had a chance to say "Move it, Taco McNacho!" as he shoved him aside.

Salvador sighed and gathered up his belongings, wishing that his fellow classmates could've at least said "excuse me". He was the last one to leave the room.

He trudged through the winding hallways, which were full of people chattering and laughing. The noise, the bustle, and the unfamiliar halls only added to the confusion. He got lost twice before he finally managed to find the exit.

Salvador began the long walk home, his eyes not looking up off the ground.

XxX

About an hour later, Salvador finally arrived at his shabby one story home. There was nothing particularly special or different; one would probably not notice it if it wasn't pointed out. He knocked on the door, pausing to wipe a bead of sweat off his forehead.

His mother opened the door for him, and all his worries were forgotten. To him, his mother was the nicest person that he had ever known, though Cindy, the kind redhead, was also pretty high up on that list. She smelled of spiciness, as if she had spent the day cooking.

Salvador flew into her arms, tears of happiness forming in his eyes. "Mother! I'm so glad to see you!" His excited phrase rolled off his tongue, the Spanish sounding familiar to him. Now he was finally in a place where he could freely speak Spanish without taunts or laughs.

"Oh, _cariño_, it's so nice to see you again…" his mother said. "Come in! Come in! I want to hear all about your day!"

Salvador's happiness faded away at her words. The last thing he wanted to do was relive his terrible first day of school.

He walked in, the familiar spicy scent of cooking tamales entering his nostrils once again. This was home. This was what he was used to. His mood was uplifted a little.

He flopped down on the soft red couch in the den and closed his eyes, grateful that he at least survived the first day of school.

His mother could tell that something was wrong, so she didn't try to pry for information. She didn't want to make him any more upset. Instead, she left him alone to unwind for a little while.

As he began to work on his homework, he noticed something was different. "Hey… where's dad? He should be home by now, right?"

His mother emerged from the kitchen. "Oh, did we not tell you? Your father finally got enrolled in a good fencing institution! He might come home later than usual, though, but that's about it!" she said.

Salvador nodded, finally remembering the reason that they had "moved" out of Mexico in the first place.

"Moved" wasn't exactly the proper term, however. "Illegally immigrated" would be closer to what actually happened. Salvador and his family had spent the past few months eluding authorities as they snuck across the Mexican border. His father claimed that they didn't have enough money for airfare or whatnot. He didn't really know what had made him do this.  
His father promised them that they would have a better life outside of Mexico. He promised that he and his wife would get a good, well-paying career and that Salvador would get a good education. And that was working out great.

Salvador spent the next few hours doing his homework (most of it was confusing equations from Mr. Jeffery) and eating dinner. He in his bed by the time his father came home.

"Heeeeeeey, guys…!"

His father's voice was slurred, and with a sinking feeling in his stomach, he realized that his father was drunk again.

His father was normally quite nice, but on occasion, he would gorge himself on brandy and get drunk. He was almost like a different man while he was drunk; instead of a kind, good-hearted fatherly figure, he was tipsy and said terrible things, things he'd never say otherwise.

Salvador sighed and pressed his pillow to his head, hoping to block out his father's voice. Eventually, despite the random slurred comments, Salvador managed to find sleep.

XxX

The next few weeks were a little bit better for Salvador. True, he was continuously taunted at school, and Mr. Jeffery was just as harsh as ever, but Cindy stuck by him. Cindy's friend, Sadie, was also quite nice, and both of them would stick up for him whenever someone teased him.

His parents enrolled him in an English learning class which would help him master the English language. It definitely took some time, but after a few weeks, he could say a few simplistic sentences. Cindy and Sadie also helped him along with learning this new language.

His father seemed to be getting drunk more often. Three times out of four, he would come home from his fencing class with alcohol spilled down his front and his eyes unfocused. Salvador generally tried to avoid him when he was drunk; he could get very nasty when he was like this.

Sometimes, usually on every Friday, Salvador's father would pull him out of school early so he could observe his fencing class. Salvador thought it was very cool to see his father bravely swinging the saber and deftly dodging his opponent.

Soon, his father was like an action hero to him. He was nimble, quick, and powerful; the makings of a superhero. Salvador longed to be like him, without the mild drinking addiction. He wanted to be someone everybody looked up to.

Finally, after one particularly long fencing session, Salvador asked his father a question.

"Hey… dad?" he asked.

"Yes?" his father said.

"Are there any fencing classes that are available for kids?"

His father's eyes widened. He stopped his leisurely pace down the sidewalk. "I think so… They may not be as advanced as my classes, but… Why do you ask?"

"I wanna be just like you someday! I wanna be a totally cool swordsman that everyone likes! It would be a great spirit booster for me, and it would be totally cool to slice up anyone who's mean to me, and—"

His father ruffled his hair. "Oh, Salvador. You have no idea about how crazy it is. It's not as easy as you think. It's not as simple as swinging around a sword, you know. You have to have quick reactions, you have to have strength… It's really tough," he said.

"I don't care! I wanna try it! Soon I'll be as good as you!" Salvador said.

His father stopped, scratching the slight wisp of a beard on his chin. His mind was working hard, trying to decide which would be better for his son. He thought about it for many minutes, but in the end, he couldn't make up his mind.

"Hmm… We'll see. I'll talk to your mother about it, see if she's okay with it. It was hard enough to convince her to let me enroll; I don't know if she'll let you…" He giggled slightly.

Salvador's eyes lit up with excitement. To him, "we'll see" meant "yes, just not now". He let out an excited squeal and nearly knocked his dad over in a tackle hug. The smell of beer nearly knocked him over, but he was too excited to care.

"Thank you, dad! Thank you soooo much! Someday I'll be just like you!" he cried.

His father laughed. "Heh heh. Keep in mind that I did say 'we'll see',"

"Still… thank you!"

Salvador skipped down the road, his spirits running high.

XxX

About a month passed sense Salvador requested to take fencing lessons. His hopes were still high, and every day, he'd come home from school and ask his mom, "Did you enroll me? Did you? Huh? Did you?!"

Most of the time, the answer was "No".

He still didn't give up. He dogged his parents, asking them at every opportunity he could get. He strived to do better in school; perhaps if he got good grades he'd have a better chance of joining. He went over to the fencing dojo and watched his father at every chance he could. He was a persistent soul, not giving up no matter what.

Finally, that fateful day arrived.

He had just come home from a particularly stressful day. He had gotten poked fun at even more, and Mr. Jeffery had loaded them up with homework. His backpack was bulging with confusing math homework.

He walked over to the kitchen table, plopping down his backpack and setting to work on his homework. He had been working harder than ever, still clinging to the hope that he would get to join fencing.

Gradually, his mind wandered from his math work to fantasies about fencing. He had watched his father so many times, he had studied his movements, his precise dodging, his swinging strikes, everything. He would be just like him someday…

Soon he was completely lost in his fantasies of fencing. In fact, he was so lost in thought that his mother practically had to yell to get his attention.

"SALVADOR ESPADACHÍN GONZALES! DO YOU HEAR ME?! COME INTO THE DEN NOW!" she screamed, her voice practically shaking the ground.

Salvador was snapped out of his daydreams and brought back to reality. He shook his head and dropped his pencil, scrambling into the den. His mother looked irritated yet strangely proud.

"Yes, mother?" Salvador panted breathlessly. He settled down on a small wooden chair and focused on his mother's face.

"Ooh, I wish your father was here, but alas… He's gone, getting himself drunk at Charley's Bar… He would've loved to hear this…" she used.

Salvador's heart leaped. Could this be the announcement he had been waiting for? Was he finally enrolled in fencing lessons?

Despite his brimming excitement, he remained as calm as he could on the outside. "Yes?" he said, his eyes shining.

"Your father and I have talked, and we finally have the decision… You may not like it, but…"

His heart sank. Maybe they hadn't enrolled him. Maybe he was just going to live the rest of his life in his father's shadow. He let out a sigh.

"Continue?" he murmured.

"Well, we've looked into enrolling you in fencing class, and I have to say, it looks really crazy…" she continued.

He nodded, his head dropping to his chest. There was no way he was enrolled now.

"But… crazy is our middle name, is it not? We do crazy things all the time! So your father and I have talked, and yes, we have decided that you're mature enough to handle fencing lessons. We just finished the paperwork today. You're in!" his mom said happily.

Words could not describe Salvador's burst of happiness. He let out a tremendous scream that nearly shattered their windows and squeezed his mom, screaming "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOUUUUUU!" at the top of his lungs.

His mother stuttered "Y-you're welcome…" smiling weakly at Salvador, who was still bouncing around the room happily.

It took quite a while for Salvador to calm down, but he finally did. He collapsed on the couch, huffing out one last "Thank you…"

"You're welcome, _cariño._ I just knew you'd be happy!" She beamed at Salvador.

"You're the best mom ever. I love you!" he cried, throwing his arms around her neck. "When'll the classes start?"

"Next week. You'll only have it once a week, on Tuesdays," she said.

"That's good enough for me!" he said.

"Keep in mind, you'll still have to do good academically, so if I see you lagging behind in your schoolwork, we may have to pull you out," his mother reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know!" he said impatiently, his heart still racing from his burst of excitement.

"That means that you have to get to work on your homework," she said.

Salvador sighed, looking at the tall pile of papers that was still sitting on his table. "Ugh… fine…" He walked over to his tower of schoolwork, giving it a begrudging stare. He wasn't gonna let a little bit of paper stand in the way of his dream.

He picked up his pencil and scrawled down some random numbers on his math paper. He didn't really care if his answers were right, he was too excited about the great news he had just received. Once he was finished, he shoved his papers in his backpack and shut himself in his room, thinking of all the great things he was going to do as a sword fighter.

He picked up a pencil and did a few experimental jabs at the air, getting the feel of holding a sharp object in his hand. Once he got tired of that, he collapsed on his bed and began to think.

_Let's see… Every great sword fighter needs a cool nickname… What should mine be?_

His began to think of a snappy nickname he would use as a sword fighter.

_Hmm… Super S? No, that just sounds like a cheesy superhero… Salvador the Great? No, too long… _

Then the perfect idea hit him.

"Saber."

It was great! Not only did "Saber" sound like "Salvador", and "saber" was another name for sword. Perfect!  
Salvador Gonzales, who would be nicknamed Saber from then on, tucked himself into bed, a smile gracing his face. Life was going to be good from then on.

XxX

The next day, Saber woke up, feeling wonderful. Today was a Friday, his favorite day of the week. He had an awesome new nickname. He was finally enrolled in fencing class. It was the best he had felt since he moved from Mexico.

He skipped out of bed and walked into the kitchen, a bright smile on his face. He took his place at the kitchen table and began to eat his breakfast.

"Good morning, mom!" he said brightly.

"Good morning, Salvador. My, you're quite cheerful today, aren't you?" she said.

Saber gasped. "Don't call me that, mom! My new nickname is Saber now. I mean, I'm not a real sword fighter if I don't have a cool nickname!"

His mother smiled, figuring that it was best to play along with his son's antics. "Okay, Saber. I won't call you Salvador any more."

"Thank you," Saber said smugly.

He finished his breakfast, grabbed his homework-laden backpack, skipped out the door with a cheerful "Goodbye, mom!" and began the walk to school.

XxX

That day at school was much better than his past school days. He did notice that Cindy was absent for reasons he didn't know, but Sadie, her other friend, helped him get through the day.

His new nickname seemed to give him more confidence; instead of cowering away at the sight of Rick and his friends, he smiled and faced up to them, threatening to poke them with a pencil.

"Oh no, what's McNacho gonna do? Curse at us in Spanish? Oh no, I'm soooo scared!" Rick sneered.

Saber smiled at him. "Not McNacho. Saber," he said.

He jabbed at Rick with his pencil, which had been freshly sharpened. His eyes widened as the sharp led came closer to his skin. He backed up, giving Saber one last look of hatred, and then scampered off to class, his cronies following close behind.

Saber left school that day with a sense of accomplishment filling his body.

Little did he know that his day was about to take a turn for the worst.

XxX

His night passed uneventfully. He completed the last of his homework, ate a little dinner, and continued to fantasize about his sword fighting career. He shut himself in his room and continued to jab at the air with his pencil. He was starting to get quite good at it.

Saber finally started to tire late at night. The stars shone bright outside his room, and the full moon hung above him like a glowing orb of light. He placed his pencil on his desk and curled up on his bed, ready to go to sleep…

_Knock knock—BANG!_

A scream shattered the empty silence, jolting Saber up. He had been just on the verge of sleep, but this scream had most certainly woken him up.

He frantically glanced around the room, his eyes scanning for the source of the scream. Nobody was there. Nothing had changed since he laid down to go to sleep.

There was another panicked scream, this one much shriller than the last one. With a terrible lurch of his stomach, Saber realized that it was his mother who was screaming.

He didn't hesitate twice to slide out of bed. He grabbed his pencil, which he would use only if he absolutely had to. Then he ventured out beyond the door to his room…

The sight he saw frightened and disgusted him. His father was in the kitchen, and he had cornered his mother behind a counter. Judging by the glazed look in his eyes and the liquid spilled down his front, Saber could assume he was drunk.

His stomach gave another terrible lurch as he realized what was in his hand.

A long, skinny sword with wicked sharp edges was clutched tightly in his fist, the metallic edges glinting sinisterly in the low light.

Saber's mind and body kicked into overdrive. He knew that alcohol and weapons should never mix. You could do terrible things under the influence, and if you had a weapon within arm's reach…

He took a deep breath. There was a chance that his father would turn on him, and he didn't want to be impaled on his sword. But he had to do it. It was better for him to get sliced than his mother.

His hand tightened around the pencil in his hand. It had been freshly sharpened, and even though he didn't want to hurt his father, he would if he absolutely had to.

Saber took two steps forward and braced himself.

"Hey! Dad!" he said bravely.

As expected, his father turned to him, his eyes scanning him suspiciously. His mother clasped her hands over her mouth, apparently resisting the urge to scream.

"Listen, dad. Don't do this. You know it's not good to practice fencing under the influence. So if you could just put that sword down—" he said as calmly as he could.

His father advanced on him, his face red and his breath reeking of spirits. "Don't ya tell me what to do, kid. I warns ya… I've got a super… sharp… STICK!" He swung the sword at Saber, the point an inch from his throat.

Saber backed away, his hand clutched tightly around the pencil. "I'm warning you: I've got a sharp object too. If you are gonna hurt me—"

Nobody could react in time to what happened next.

Saber's father swung the sword with a fierce, drunken yell. Saber dodged out of the way, his instinct kicking in. He stumbled back, disoriented and feeling oddly dizzy.

He felt a strangely warm sensation on his left shoulder. The warmness turned to wetness, and then to a searing pain. Saber rubbed his shoulder, which only increased the pain. When he looked at his hand, he nearly fainted.

It was covered in blood.

Trying to remain as calm as possible, he looked at his left shoulder. His blue pajamas had been sliced through, and a large gash that was oozing warm blood had been opened.

His father had gotten him after all.

A terrible dizzy sensation overtook him. He stumbled back, his shoulder stinging, his body beginning to shut down from blood loss. His mother screamed, his father cackled, and he moaned.

He collapsed on the floor, his vision slowly growing dark. He found it hard to think straight, but one thought stood out in his befuddled mind: _I'm dying._

"911! 911! Someone, help! My son—he just got sliced in the shoulder! Send help—he's bleeding—please—" His mother was barking into the phone, her voice screeching. Maybe the paramedics would come and help him now. Maybe he would survive.

But he was beginning to doubt that very much.

His father towered over him, possibly hoping to finish him off… but he didn't have to do anything now… Saber was as good as dead…

His vision was nearly gone. His heart was slowing down. A pool of blood began to form under him… The voice of his mother was beginning to fade… Everything was blurring out of focus…

The last thing he heard before he passed out was the loud wail of sirens.

XxX

A blur of whiteness… a rush below him… his shoulder throbbing… hurried voices…

Saber swam into consciousness only for a moment… He was aware of a dull throbbing on his shoulder… His heart hurt with every pulse… Everything was blurred together into a terrible nightmare…

_No… Am I dying…? What happened…? Am I safe…? What's going on? _Saber thought groggily, trying to wipe away the fog of his brain.

He moaned and tried to open his eyes, though he was too weak for even that simple gesture. His shoulder hurt more and more… it felt warm, wet…

Someone spoke up, speaking reassuring words, but it was all nothing but a blur to him.

He drew a shaky breath and let it out, his mind slowly spiraling down again. He was slowly losing consciousness again… or was he dying? Was this truly the end? Was this the end of the great sword fighter Saber?

_So… sleepy…_

His vision went white, then black, and Saber knew no more.

XxX

Saber the Treecko sighed, figuring that it was no use thinking about the rest of his tale. He had woken up in a damp cave, and when he looked into a puddle of water, he had discovered his transformation into a Treecko.

Ever since that day, though, his scar would start to prickle at completely random times. He had no idea why, but it was quite the annoyance.

He sighed again and looked at his sleeping companions' faces. He figured it would be nice to sleep without any pain. No pain from wounds, no pain from any heartaches they endured…

And most of all, they didn't have to suffer through the pain of their past.

XxX

**Confusing end is confusing.**

**But I still hope you liked this chapter. Don't forget to review!**

**Also, a prickling scar that comes from a tragic past... Does that sound familiar to anyone? *cough Harry Potter cough***


End file.
